Two Sides of the Same Coin
by MetaBlade
Summary: A black scarf, shorter than his own, fluttered in the wind around its neck. Its face was thrown into shadow. He'd never seen this person before – was it even a person? But there was something eerily familiar about it. Then he realised why. Because it looked like him. (Former title: Blind White) (Complete)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: All right, so this takes place about 2 months after _A Rescue Gone Awry, _but you won't need to read that story in order to understand this one.

I spent a while thinking of ideas for a new Mario fanfic, and came up with this. This story focuses a lot on the brotherly relationship between Mario and Luigi, and also features a 'character' I've never attempted to write before, so I hope I do all right.

One last note... there's a small amount of LuigixDaisy in later chapters, but it's not a main part of the story.

Enjoy and feel free to review!

* * *

* * * *CHAPTER 1* * * *

It wasn't the first time this had happened, and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

The darkness around his eyes twisted sharply, contorting and swirling in elaborate patterns. He couldn't see a thing. It was as if he were blind. He moaned in pain and lashed out against it, feeling the dark give way beneath his fist and fall back unharmed. Next moment he was pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, desperate to escape the evil presence that pressed in from all sides.

The blackness twisted again, and suddenly he could see. But all he could see was a pair of eyes, pure white and glaring, cutting through the fog that thickly surrounded him. He turned away. Maybe if he couldn't see the eyes anymore, they wouldn't exist. But the shadows took their own shape, distorting into horribly long, spindly fingers that gripped both of his arms and held him in place.

The white eyes grew larger until they filled his vision completely, and in the brief moment before raw terror overwhelmed him, he caught sight of a reflection glinting back at him in their surface.

His own reflection, grinning cruelly, with those same blind white eyes glowing faintly from their sockets. Mocking him.

He screamed.

* * *

'Luigi! Get the heck out of that bed! NOW!'

Someone was shaking his shoulder, and their voice sounded familiar and uncharacteristically impatient.

The tall, green-clad plumber groaned at the sudden intrusion of sunlight as his brother tugged the curtains open. He threw an arm across his face and rolled sideways. 'Mariooo!' he whined. 'It's too early for this.'

'Yeah,' Mario agreed, strolling around to the other side of the bed. Luigi pulled his arm away slightly and saw the smile plastered on his sibling's face. 'But it's the morning of that big tennis tourney, remember? We're invited to the princess' castle for the first game! Come _on, _bro, we don't have all day here.'

Luigi mumbled something under his breath, in Italian, and slowly forced himself out of his warm and comfortable bed. When he glanced at the digital clock beside him he almost had a heart attack. 'MARIO! It's 5AM! The tourney doesn't even start for another three-and-a-half hours!' he nearly screamed.

Mario grinned. He was already fully dressed, Luigi noticed, which was ridiculous – he _never _got up and dressed this early. Not to mention there were traces of toast crumbs on his shirt, which probably meant he'd already cooked and eaten breakfast.

'We can't be late,' he replied innocently. Then he took off running out of the bedroom, leaving Luigi alone.

The younger brother groaned again and, fighting back his sleepiness, staggered off towards the kitchen to hunt for something to eat. 'You just want to talk to Princess Peach before the game starts...' he muttered furiously.

Oddly enough, he had a vague memory of dreaming the night before. He remembered darkness and whiteness and a terrible feeling of being watched... something in the shadows, following him... but the memory was too distant to unnerve him now. Maybe the details would come back to him later, but it was doubtful. Luigi had always found it difficult to recall his dreams...

With a vast yawn, he reached for the nearest box of cornflakes.

* * *

'So you never did tell me why you were talking in your sleep last night,' said Mario conversationally as the two brothers walked briskly along a sidewalk in Toad Town.

It was a damp, grey, and rainy morning in mid-January, though it was barely warmer than it had been a month ago. The Christmas decorations had long since been taken down, leaving most of the town looking dark and dismal, especially after the last remnants of the snow melted. The roads were so wet that Luigi accidentally splashed through an ankle-deep puddle, soaking his shoes and part of his overalls.

Princess Peach had decided that the only way to raise everyone's spirits was to host a massive tennis tourney throughout January and February, of which the first game was being held this morning. It was a bit of a walk to the castle, though Mario did not seem to mind and spent half of the trip whistling to himself and deliberately stepping in puddles, until he finally addressed his brother.

'Hmm?' Luigi looked up in surprise at the question. He hadn't been paying much attention to Mario, having been more concerned with keeping himself and his tennis equipment as dry as possible.

'You were talking to yourself,' the red-capped plumber repeated. 'Pretty loudly, I remember.'

'In my sleep?'

'Yep.'

Luigi racked his brains, but couldn't think of a single instance the night before where he might've been talking in his sleep. He couldn't even remember dreaming, but that was nothing unusual.

'Are you sure?' he said doubtfully. 'What was I saying anyway?'

Mario shrugged and kept his head down, using the brim of his cap to shield his face from the rain which was now coming down in a hammering crescendo. 'Something about darkness and eyes. It was kind of vague.'

'Sounds sinister,' replied Luigi jokingly, not at all disturbed. After a short pause he added, 'I don't remember anything like that happening.'

'Well, you said you never remember your dreams.'

'Not very _often. _But sometimes.'

The brothers ceased talking then, because the great star-patterned gates in front of Peach's Castle were looming into view. The rain was pounding from the sky now and the foggy air made it difficult to see much, but as they approached the entrance, a pair of Toad guards carrying spears hurried forth to open the way for them.

'You look like a couple of half-drowned Goombas,' observed the less tactful of the guards as he held the gate open.

'Gee, thanks,' muttered Luigi, stepping through. Mario followed, distractedly checking the contents of his tennis bag. He continued doing this until they were a few paces inside the castle grounds, whereupon he stopped abruptly and grabbed his brother's shoulder.

'Hey bro, I think I forgot my spare racket,' he said apologetically. 'I'm gonna run back into town and buy another one. Can you wait here for me?'

Luigi sighed inaudibly. He knew that if he agreed, he'd end up spending the next ten or fifteen minutes getting soaked by the cold rain while Mario tried to pick out a new tennis racket from the shop. But he was already wet enough, he supposed. What difference did it make?

'All right,' he said. 'But hurry.' Gratitude flashed through Mario's expression for a split second, and then the plumber was tearing off across the grounds at high speed. Luigi was left standing alone once more.

He lifted his head and exhaled slowly, watching his breath transform into white vapour in the frosty air. It was so _early. _No one in their right mind would get out of their safe, comfy bed to go wandering about outside on a horrible morning like this... unless you were Mario, of course. Mario had no regard for the cold and rain. Luigi guessed he was so accustomed to dangerous adventures that he no longer cared about the weather, no matter what it was doing.

He cared, though. A lot.

And he was still half-asleep, despite the long walk from his house to Peach's Castle. The chill had done nothing to drive away his tiredness. Maybe Mario was right and he'd had some nightmare, something that had prevented him from sleeping properly last night, although he couldn't remember any of it. However, a little voice in his head told him that it would be a bad idea to think about the dream. The more he concentrated, the stronger the voice grew, until he was absolutely certain he didn't want to recall it. If he did, he might go insane.

Shivering, he tugged his scarf tighter and started walking in no particular direction, trying to wake himself up and fight off the cold at the same time.

It was right then, in his confused and bleary state, that he first noticed it.

A tall figure was perched on the edge of the castle roof, silhouetted against the pale sky. He started when he saw it, body giving an involuntary jerk, and not only because of fear or shock. The figure didn't stir, but he knew it was looking intently at him just as he was looking at it. A black scarf, shorter than his own, fluttered in the wind around its neck. Its face was thrown into shadow. He'd never seen this person before – was it even a person? But there was something eerily familiar about it.

Then he realised why. Because it looked like him.

They stared at each other for a moment more, then the silhouetted figure slunk backwards onto the roof and disappeared from sight.

'Luigi! Hey, over here!'

The voice pulled him from his reverie, a welcome distraction which he immediately grabbed onto. 'Mario! I'm here.'

His brother came hurrying out of the fog, panting for breath and with a brand-new red tennis racket held over his shoulder. He seemed oddly relieved. 'Luigi! I couldn't see you for a while,' he gasped. 'Then when I _finally_ found you, you were just staring up at the castle like you'd seen a boo. What in the Stars was going on?'

Luigi found himself quickly constructing a lie to tell his brother. For some reason, he didn't want anybody else to know about the strange figure he'd seen on the roof – not quite yet, at least.

'I thought I saw Yoshi up there, but it was just a shadow,' he replied. Then, changing the subject, he added, 'Are you ready? Can we go indoors now?'

'You're getting tired of this rain?' Mario responded, regaining his breath and grinning knowingly. 'Sure thing. Let's head inside.'


	2. Chapter 2

* * * * CHAPTER 2 * * * *

'Oh come on, it wasn't that bad,' said Mario comfortingly as they left the castle grounds a few hours later. The bleak skies and rain from that morning had disintegrated into a cloudless, but extremely cold, afternoon. Both plumbers found themselves unconsciously pulling their scarves and coats tighter as they walked through the almost-empty streets.

The first game of the tennis tourney had gone well for nearly everyone. Mario and Peach, working together as a team, had completely destroyed the opposition with their combined skills... although the strong feelings between the two of them may have helped quite a bit. Luigi had practically seen hearts floating in his brother's eyes throughout the entire match.

However, it had all gone horribly for Luigi himself. For reasons he didn't want to admit, he'd been distracted the whole time, unable to give the game the proper concentration it deserved and messing up as a result. His doubles partner, Yoshi, hadn't been very impressed. Especially when Luigi failed to see the ball coming in his direction twice times in a row, which lost them the match.

'It _was _bad,' he replied in a low voice. 'But that's not what's bothering me.' He still wasn't sure whether he wanted to tell Mario about the figure he'd seen on the castle roof before the game began. It felt like a secret, despite the fact he had no idea what was going on.

Mario's eyebrow lifted. 'What's up? I noticed you were kind of quiet this morning. Is it something to do with that 'dream' you had?'

'I...'

Luigi stopped. In truth, he knew it wasn't just the appearance of the figure on the castle that was bothering him.

All day he had been busy pondering the dream he'd had last night, trying to remember the details that he'd obviously forgotten. Mario said he'd been talking in his sleep... surely he would remember a dream that caused him to do _that? _It had never happened before. Not to his knowledge.

It was his constant distraction over these two events – the hazy dream and the person on the castle roof – that completely put him off the tennis game.

'It's a few things,' he replied evasively, averting his gaze from his brother's.

Mario let out an explosive, exasperated sigh. 'I don't get you, Luigi.'

'Nor do I, sometimes.'

'So what _is _worrying you?'

'It's not!' But when Mario only stared at him expectantly, he gave up and elaborated. Or tried to.

'I can't quite remember that dream. But I think it's something really important – something that I _need _to know.'

'Like when somebody sends you a message through your dreams?' asked Mario, who'd had something similar happen to him before, courtesy of the Star Spirits. 'That sounds serious, Luigi.'

'I'm not sure,' he sighed. 'If it was a real message, shouldn't I be able to actually... you know... remember it?'

'Maybe whoever tried to send it to you is weakened, or very far away,' said Mario, nodding wisely.

'And there's something else.' Suddenly feeling nervous, Luigi glanced over his shoulder to scan the castle behind them for signs of that mysterious figure. But now that the sky was clear, he could immediately see there was nothing on the rooftop save a couple of birds. Whoever it was, it was long gone.

'I saw somebody on the roof this morning,' he told his brother. 'When you ran off to buy your tennis racket.'

'Who?' Mario's eyes widened and his hands clenched into fists. He was obviously thinking he'd put Luigi in danger by leaving him, and was already prepared to blame himself for anything that happened.

'He didn't move,' the green-capped plumber hastened to add. 'He just stood up there and watched me. And just as you came running over, he vanished.' Since when had he started referring to the strange figure as a he?

'What did it look like?'

This time, Luigi shuddered slightly and hoped his brother didn't notice. 'He looked... a bit like me. I couldn't see his face or anything... it was just a shadow.'

Mario stared at him for a moment, then suddenly turned and began to walk quickly in a particular direction without speaking. Luigi had to struggle a bit to catch up, even with his longer legs. 'Wh-where are you going?!'

The red plumber didn't say anything until they reached the middle of Toad Town. Here, it was fairly busy, though only a few Toads were milling about as opposed to the dozens who would normally be here. It seemed like everybody was still at Peach's Castle enjoying the post-game refreshments.

Luigi was becoming seriously concerned for his brother's sanity when he suddenly realised they were heading for the odd circular house in the corner of town. He groaned. It was Merlon the fortuneteller's house.

He had spoken to Merlon a few times before... the last time had been shortly before Christmas. Mario had rushed out to rescue the princess from evil Bowser's clutches once again, but the rescue had gone horribly wrong and both of them had ended up imprisoned. Luigi, following the strange old man's advice, had gathered a small band of friends (and rivals) to travel to Bowser's Castle and free them.

He _was _grateful for Merlon's help back then, but he still preferred to avoid him unless it was absolutely necessary. Still, he also understood why Mario was leading them here. Who knew more about dreams, oracles and secret messages than Merlon the fortuneteller?

He expected Mario to knock on the door or just wait outside, but instead he went striding right in. Luigi followed more hesitantly. As usual, Merlon's odd little house was kept in semidarkness and there was weird music playing from somewhere, though he could see no sign of its source.

The fortuneteller himself was standing behind the table, wearing long blue robes and a hood that completely overshadowed his face. Or maybe he didn't have a face... Luigi tried not to consider that possibility. Despite the hood, he could still see a pair of faintly glowing dots roughly where Merlon's eyes should be.

Mario walked up to the table and put a fist down, none too gently. 'We need to ask you something important!' he said without preamble.

'That much is obvious,' Merlon replied, a vague hint of amusement buried beneath his tone. 'And I believe I already know what troubles you.'

'Huh?' That threw the red-capped plumber off. 'How do you know that?' Behind him, Luigi hovered awkwardly in the background.

'An oracle came to me last night,' said Merlon. 'It told me of a mysterious dark figure, powerful beyond measure and terribly familiar. I think it was a warning. A warning of something that is going to happen or perhaps already did. Is this what you wanted to talk about?'

At the mention of the 'dark figure' Luigi's head shot up so fast he cricked his neck. 'Th-that's what I saw this morning!' he said, wincing slightly. Merlon's eyes turned towards the younger brother and seemed to inspect him in a new light, all traces of humour gone.

'You have encountered something extraordinarily dangerous,' he replied slowly. 'I do not know for sure what it is, but I can make guesses. Luigi... did this figure resemble yourself in some form?'

'Wha-? Oh... yeah...' Luigi paused, frowning. 'It looked kinda like me, but there was something off about it.' He recalled the short, dark scarf trailing from behind the figure's neck and the strange stillness of its body as it watched him from atop the castle roof, and shuddered. 'I dreamed about it last night too.'

'What!' Mario exploded. 'You didn't tell me that!'

'I only remembered in the last ten minutes!' Luigi defended.

The fortuneteller lifted both hands in a placating gesture until the brothers calmed down and paid attention to him. 'I think I can guess what this... creature... was,' he said. 'Luigi, you say it resembled you, but somewhat darker and more... distorted.' He didn't voice it as a question, but Luigi nodded anyway. 'Perhaps it is an evil version of you, a shadow, a part of yourself.'

The silence was so absolute you could hear a pin drop. Even the eerie music in the background had faded away.

Then Mario fidgeted and shook his head vigorously, as though awakening from a deep sleep. 'That's ridiculous,' he said. 'Luigi doesn't have an evil side. Well, not that anyone's seen.'

Luigi himself was very quiet, thinking back on the moment he'd seen the silhouetted figure on the castle roof. He couldn't deny that he _had _felt an odd connection with the thing... a familiarity, as if he'd seen it before. But even so...

Merlon was talking again. 'It may seen impossible, but it has happened before, long ago in the past. A person's darker side taking its own form and manifesting as a new creature, built upon their negative thoughts and evil intentions. Perhaps this is what happened with you, Luigi.'

Mario snorted. He looked like he didn't know whether to burst out laughing or run out of the house in hysterics, so he settled for an odd expression somewhere between amusement and confusion. 'If _my brother_ has evil intentions, then I'm Bowser's long-lost dad,' he muttered, but no-one was listening.

Luigi was leaning forwards, both hands flat on the table, completely engrossed in his discussion with Merlon.

'If you're right,' he said, 'then is there a chance this... thing might come after us? Hurt us?'

The fortuneteller looked grave. 'I'm not certain,' he began, but was interrupted.

'How can we destroy it if it's part of me?!'

'You cannot.' Merlon stared at him levelly. 'Doing so would also kill you, or else leave you severely damaged. No, if this creature proves to be a threat then you will need to find other ways of removing it.'

Mario had been pacing up and down behind them with an agitated look on his face. Then he abruptly burst out, 'But I don't understand... if this thing is a manifestation of Luigi's dark side –' he still couldn't say that without sounding ridiculous – 'then how does it exist? _Why_ does it exist?'

Merlon spread his unseen hands helplessly. 'I cannot tell you. The oracle, it only warned me of the coming danger. Not what it was, nor how to defeat it.'

'Maybe... maybe we won't need to hurt it,' said Luigi hesitantly, ever the pacifist. 'I mean, it's just part of me, right? We could talk to it.'

'No way!' Mario flung his hand out and nearly knocked the crystal ball off Merlon's table. 'Bro, this guy is _made _of your evil intentions. We can't just invite him over for a bowl of spaghetti and become friends –'

'I don't _have _any evil intentions!' Luigi growled back, and they might have started arguing again if Merlon hadn't been quick enough to distract them.

'Enough of that!' cried the old man sharply. 'Now isn't the time for fighting among yourselves. This creature – this shadow – could find you anywhere, Luigi, and while I doubt it can harm you, it can certainly harm your brother.'

The green-capped plumber froze stock-still. He didn't even appear to be breathing for a moment as the shock of the realisation sunk in. 'A-a-are you sure?' he stuttered. When Merlon nodded gravely, he cried out, 'Then I should leave... lure it somewhere else so it can't kill anyone!'

Mario swiftly grabbed his arm as he made to rush outside that instant. 'No,' he grunted. 'We're in this together.' The fortuneteller nodded again, seeming more pleased this time.

'You must protect each other,' he intoned. 'I like to hope this creature may be harmless, but my heart tells me I am wrong.'

'You think it might really try to attack us?'

'I cannot say for sure, but it certainly feels that way.'

'Right then.' Mario breathed out slowly, draining out the last remains of anger and steeling himself for whatever lay ahead. Then he forcibly turned his brother around to face him. 'Listen, Luigi! We'll defeat this thing somehow, but we gotta stay together. Merlon says so.'

'...Sure.' Luigi briefly considered arguing, but he knew both Merlon and his brother would be against him. If necessary, he'd just sneak out of the house later tonight and find somewhere isolated to hide. He'd much rather confront his 'evil shadow' alone than risk anyone else's life for no reason.

'Good.' Mario suddenly yawned. 'Then let's go home, I'm starving.' And just like that, the tension and fear and successive shocks of the conversation seemed to disappear, shoved aside by a longing for spaghetti and a warm house. Luigi rolled his eyes and played along, although hecouldn't throw off his emotions as easily as his brother could. Everything continued to swirl around in his head even when he tried his best to forget about it.

'All right, let's a-go,' he replied.

Merlon watched silently, half-bewildered and half-amused, as the two siblings hurried outside without so much as a wave of farewell, snapping playfully at each other all the way.


	3. Chapter 3

* * * *CHAPTER 3* * * *

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, apart from a couple of things.

After their talk with Merlon, the two brothers had immediately gone to Toad Town Café to eat lunch, unwilling to make the long walk back home. The food had been excellent and Mario had been unusually friendly all day, continually offering to help Luigi with various trivial things. He even offered to wash the dishes, something he normally wouldn't have done even if the continued existence of spaghetti depended on it.

But despite how peaceful the day turned out, Luigi couldn't relax for a second. He knew the exact reason for Mario's odd behaviour; he was scared. Scared that the shadow-creature would return and attack his brother while he wasn't around to help. However, neither of them mentioned it until later that evening, at about 8PM, whereupon Mario threw himself down on the couch and lazily stretched out an arm for the television remote.

'C'mon!' he called out to Luigi, who was currently in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. 'There's some good stuff on.'

He waited until his brother abandoned the sink and came to sit beside him on the couch, propped up by several layers of cushions and looking as grim as he had all day.

'What's up?' he asked guardedly. It wasn't normal for Mario to invite him to watch television together. He always did that by himself, while Luigi sat in his room and read books, or the newspaper. But then again, his brother had been acting funny ever since they left the fortuneteller's house that morning.

Mario sighed and gave up all pretence of being normal, tossing the remote aside and sitting up straighter. There was a gleam of something in his eyes which Luigi didn't entirely like the look of.

'Listen, bro,' he began. 'About what Merlon said earlier –' Luigi quickly lifted a gloved hand, forestalling whatever he'd been about to say.

'If this is more nonsense about me not leaving the house alone, would you mind saving it for tomorrow? We've already been over this.'

'But Luigiiii,' said Mario in a very whiny voice which he probably didn't even notice he was using. 'That guy – he's like an evil version of you! Imagine how powerful he could be! And Merlon seemed scared of him too – come on, _Merlon! _Besides –'

'He can't hurt me!' Luigi snapped, getting mildly annoyed with his older brother's over-protectiveness.

'Merlon said he can't _kill _you,' Mario corrected him, raising a finger for silence. 'He could still hurt you, or try to make you do stuff. He's part of you, remember? If he's more powerful, don't you think he could control you somehow?'

Luigi pondered over this statement for a minute or two. It did make sense (surprisingly, considering Mario had said it) but for some reason it didn't alarm him quite as much as it ought to have done. 'You can't be sure of that,' he protested. 'And anyway, what if he really is dangerous? I'll have to get rid of him –'

'No,' corrected Mario again, firmly putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. 'We'll get rid of him _together.' _Luigi groaned.

'He might be able to kill you,' he pointed out. 'But he can't kill me. It makes more sense if I deal with him alone.' There was more to it than that, but he wasn't prepared to admit the whole truth. He actually _wanted _to confront his mysterious shadow face-to-face, with nobody else around. The figure's appearance on Peach's Castle roof felt like it'd been a personal challenge aimed at him. But how could he defeat it, when they were connected in such a way?

'Luigi, you're gonna get into serious trouble if you insist on doing this by yourself,' said Mario. And for once, he didn't look like he was messing around or just trying to annoy his little brother. His expression was solemn and, when Luigi met his gaze, he saw no trace of amusement in those blue eyes.

'...We'll discuss this tomorrow,' he said reluctantly, averting his gaze. 'It's late, and the shadow isn't coming after us tonight.' He swiftly got off the comfortable couch and headed in the direction of his room, wishing he could sleep right there and then.

'How can you be sure of that?' Mario protested, scrambling awkwardly to his feet in an effort to give pursuit.

Luigi paused momentarily, standing in the bedroom, then stuck his head around the doorway to reply: 'I'd know if he was nearby, trust me.' And before his brother could even open his mouth to argue further, he was gone.

Mario cocked his head and listened attentively for perhaps two minutes, but there was no more sound other than a slight creak of bedsprings as Luigi threw himself down on the mattress. After that, silence.

He let out a great sigh and lunged for the television remote lying abandoned on the floor. There actually wasn't anything he wanted to watch, but he wasn't tired either. Thoughts of what Merlon had said were distracting him too effectively from sleep.

* * *

Luigi hardly got any rest that night.

It wasn't because he didn't _sleep;_ on the contrary, once he hit his bed he only got a few minutes to sulk before drifting off. Immediately, all thoughts of Mario's odd behaviour and the new rift that'd been formed between them were erased from his mind. He didn't even know his own identity anymore.

He was back in that strange, shadowy place, with a thick fog of darkness pressing against him from all sides. Except this time he wasn't blinded. He could see the gleam of silvery-white eyes everywhere, surrounding him. Each eye held a reflection of himself, subtly changed, rippling as if in a pond.

Unlike in his last dream, he remained mostly lucid and was able to understand more of what was happening. The eyes swirled and contorted in various shapes, sometimes vanishing from sight entirely. It was confusing and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, until one particular pair of glowing orbs began to approach quickly, growing larger and larger. Suddenly there were right in front of his own eyes and he could see his distorted reflection in their surfaces.

But things were different now. It was late in the night and there was no Mario to jolt him awake. Smiling, he stepped forwards, completely fearless. The shape of himself shining through the silvery eyes didn't move with him, and when he got closer he was able to get a better look.

It was him, but a rather different version of him. Its clothing was mostly black; no green shirt or blue overalls. What he'd originally taken for a black scarf was actually a dark-green bandanna wrapped around its neck. There were other, more subtle changes in the reflection's design as well. And its eyes – they were white, as if blind, just like the multitudes of larger eyes surrounding him in the void. They were also partially covered by some sort of black mask.

It was the figure from the roof.

He smiled. Despite his knowledge of the creature and what it might be capable of doing, he felt no fear. Rather, he felt vaguely like he'd just bumped into a long-lost but well-loved relative whom he hadn't seen in many, many years. It was the sensation of familiarity that drew him closer and made him stretch out a hand to touch the reflection.

After what seemed to be a moment of hesitation, the reflection's hand also lifted as if to reach out for him.

Then, suddenly, the entire world shattered and broke apart into thousands upon millions of tiny fragments, sending Luigi flying with it. He made a frantic grab for the dark version of himself, but it had disappeared. Then there was nothing other than the bizarre sensation of falling down a long, vertical tunnel, exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.

* * *

He jerked upright with a start; the room was still in semidarkness. Glancing across at his little digital clock, he groaned upon seeing it was only 5.30AM. Mario's face was floating somewhere in front of him, upside-down and wearing a half-bemused, half-concerned expression. It seemed to take him an unreasonably long time to realise that his brother was hanging over the edge of his bed to look at him (they'd had bunk beds for a few years now and Mario had always insisted on taking the upper one).

'What's going on?' he mumbled, wondering if he was still dreaming. 'By the Stars, Mario, if you'd just waited one more _minute...'_

'You were talking in your sleep again,' replied the older plumber in a sharp and serious tone, one he'd never used before. 'It's worrying me.'

'I was dreaming, obviously! Why did you have to wake me up?'

'Luigi, this is ridiculous! All I could hear was you muttering about shadows and reflections and someone who looked like you...' His upside-down face suddenly disappeared and Luigi heard a muffled curse as he grabbed onto something to keep himself from falling off the bed. Mario continued talking without trying to lean over again. 'Something's wrong. Really wrong.'

There was silence for a long while. Luigi gazed out into the darkened room, eyes wandering from the window, the closet, the blue-carpeted floor, and back up again. It was growing lighter in here, slowly but steadily, and soon he'd be able to see the sunrise through the thin curtains.

At first both brothers assumed the other had fallen asleep. But then Luigi spoke up and Mario shifted on his own bed to listen. 'D'you... do you think this means the shadow is getting closer?' he asked, voice low and unsure.

'You know more about the thing than I do, bro,' Mario responded. 'You said it yourself, that you could tell when it was close, or whatever.'

'That was before. I'm not so certain now.'

'Well, Merlon's probably right about it not being able to hurt you. You're safe, right?'

'But other people aren't.' Luigi's tone was barely louder than a whisper and sounded tremulous, as if voicing his thoughts took a lot of effort. 'It could find me, and if you're with me then it might do something to you. Maybe it could even... you know.'

'Kill me?' Mario, who'd faced death so many times in the past while rescuing princesses from evil kings, could say it without so much as a quiver. 'You could be right, Luigi. But even so, I'm not gonna leave you. Because I know you. And I'm sure you'd do just about _anything_ to protect the kingdom.'

'Hmm.' The younger brother considered this for a while. It helped to keep his mind off the strange dream he'd had, even if it was such a grim prospect to contemplate.

'You're saying you're more worried about me hurting _myself _than the shadow doing something to me?' he said after a few minutes.

He heard a light thump above him as Mario brought a fist, or possibly a foot, down hard on his own bed. 'I'm not saying you're suicidal, Luigi,' he eventually replied, just as his brother was beginning to grow uneasy in the continued silence. 'But you care way too much about the people of this kingdom, like me and Peach and all the Toads. I'm...' There was another, shorter pause. 'I'm afraid you might sacrifice yourself to destroy this shadow thing, if you think it's necessary.'

He tried to inject lightness into his tone, not wanting his little brother to realise just _how _afraid he was, but Luigi seemed to guess the truth anyway.

'It wouldn't be fair to place one life above everyone else's,' he protested.

'I don't care,' said Mario, rather more bluntly than he intended. 'There's another way to get rid of this guy without killing anyone. We just have to figure it out. OK?'

'There might not...' Luigi broke off and sighed slightly. He knew there was no point trying to change Mario's mind once it was made up. It was better to simply agree with him, even if he was wrong.

'We'll try everything else first,' he said, which wasn't entirely what his brother wanted to hear.

'Right...' Mario rolled over in his bed, causing the ancient springs to creak noisily in warning. 'Let's get some more sleep. There's another tennis game at 8.30.' But he didn't sound like he cared much about the game.

Luigi muttered assent and gazed at the underside of the upper bunk, waiting until Mario's snoring indicated that he was asleep. When all was still, he finally rolled over and closed his eyes, hoping for another hour or two of rest.

To his relief, he didn't dream.

* * *

A/N: So, you can probably guess who the 'evil shadow' is by now. (or you can just look at the story's character list). Note that I haven't played Super Paper Mario, and he's is an individual character here, not just a brainwashed version of Luigi.

Anyway, feel free to review!


	4. Chapter 4

* * * *CHAPTER 4* * * *

In a dark, deserted alleyway at the furthest edge of Toad Town, Wario was brooding.

He'd just wasted a lot of money gambling with a couple of friends back home. They'd been watching a kart racing tournament on television and betting on which drivers they thought would win. Wario turned out to be less than successful, and after losing a tidy sum of gold he threw his friends out, spent ten minutes pacing up and down the house, and then stomped off into town.

Waluigi probably didn't know where he was. He hadn't told a soul where he was going, having had no destination in mind himself. His wondered if his brother would be worrying about him by now. Most likely not, considering how many arguments and fights they got into on an almost daily basis.

Miserably, he rattled a few loose coins in his pocket and wandered further along the alleyway. His temper had cooled, but he didn't have any urge to head home just yet. He'd hang around outside for a while longer... maybe see if the Café was still open... then, and only if he really wanted to, he'd go back.

He probably should have told Waluigi before he stormed out, though. This place was darker than he'd originally thought. If he got brutally murdered by some criminal then his brother would never know what happened to him. Or worse, what if he ended up getting attacked and all his money stolen? He couldn't afford to lose anything else!

Criminal activity was quite rare in the Mushroom Kingdom, but it was certainly not unheard of. Masked bandits occasionally roamed the back alleys of town, fighting and stealing and living off scraps. The fact that he didn't live in Rogueport didn't necessarily make him entirely safe. If Waluigi had been here, they could have fought off any opponent together without losing a hair on their heads, but now he was alone. He might technically be a criminal himself, but did that mean he'd be able to fight off another one?

With these uneasy feelings swirling about in his mind, Wario spun on his heels with surprising swiftness and set off towards the exit. He'd had enough and was more than ready to go home.

The attack came out of nowhere. One minute he was walking, the next minute he was lying in a sprawled heap at the side of the alleyway, his clothes slightly blackened and smoking. His cap fell off and rolled gently away. He groaned, started to sit up, and swung out a fist randomly in clumsy retaliation. A second lightning bolt knocked him into full unconsciousness.

A tall figure dropped from the roof above him and landed lightly in the alleyway, falling into a half-crouch and habitually observing the area for signs of more life. When nothing made a sound, he grinned and straightened up, casually adjusted his mask, and turned bright-white eyes on the motionless body.

Like a curious child, he stretched out a foot and prodded it, inspecting his handiwork. It didn't move, but was clearly still alive and breathing. He hesitated, half-considering finishing the guy off, but turned aside at the last moment and jumped back up onto the roof instead.

Piercing moonlight threw the figure into silhouette as he stole one last glance at his fallen victim before disappearing into the night.

He'd sown the seeds of chaos, ensuring his rival knew what he was capable of. Soon, his rival would answer his challenge and come for him, and then they'd find out exactly who was the strongest. Luigi the weakling, the coward, the pacifist... or Mr L, the Green Thunder, the one with the _true _powers.

* * *

During breakfast the next day, both Mario and Luigi were half-asleep and yawning over their food. Neither had slept well after their conversation in the early hours of the morning, and the prospect of attending the tennis game was not a happy one.

'We have to go,' Mario mumbled, practically clawing his way through an enormous plateful of eggs and bacon. Being tired didn't affect his monstrous appetite, it seemed. 'Peach'll be upset if we miss it and _we'll_ end up being disqualified from the tournament.'

'Oh, can't upset _Peach, _can we?' replied Luigi in a sarcastic tone as he leaned against a kitchen counter and drank black coffee. He'd been too sleepy to even eat, unlike his brother, and his exhaustion was putting him in a decidedly unreasonable mood.

As expected, Mario glanced up from his meal and shot him a bewildered look. 'What's up with _you?' _he asked through a mouthful of something. Luigi sighed deeply and didn't bother answering. Perhaps the silence between them would have escalated into a full-blown argument if it wasn't for the morning newspaper getting shoved through their front door at that exact moment, making them both jump.

Mario hurriedly finished his breakfast and got up to retrieve the paper. Luigi remained where he was, gulping his coffee in an effort to stop his eyes sinking shut as he stood there. Maybe he actually needed to go to that tennis game. Something to keep him awake might be a good idea...

Then Mario's eyebrows shot up and he let out a startled exclamation. 'Luigi, you gotta hear about this!' he cried, spreading the newspaper out flat on the dining table. 'Wario's in hospital! Somebody found him lying in an alleyway behind the Post Office last night. Apparently he'd been burned and knocked out by something.'

'Shame it wasn't Waluigi,' his brother muttered. He hadn't made any effort to come over and examine the article himself.

Mario started reading aloud quite fast, not paying any attention to Luigi's grumpiness. 'Listen to this. 'Toad Town Police believe that this attack was caused by a very dangerous criminal who should not be approached at any cost. They say Mr Wario is very fortunate to have escaped alive. In fact, the situation is so serious that Princess Peach has started looking into the matter personally.'' The red-capped plumber dramatically threw the newspaper aside and looked up at his brother. 'I'm sure you know what this means.'

'What?' Luigi groaned.

'It means that _your evil shadow is nearby!' _Mario declared. 'Don't you get it, Luigi? It all adds up! He must be the one who attacked Wario. Maybe he did it to get your attention or something.'

The younger brother gave a massive sigh, but inwardly he was rather impressed by Mario's logic. It did make sense, but he couldn't help wondering why the shadow had made the decision to attack _Wario, _someone he barely cared about, instead of targeting Mario or Peach or someone else he actually liked.

But before he could respond, Mario released a sudden gasp of shock. When he'd dropped the newspaper, a little scrap of paper had fallen out from somewhere inside it and landed on the table. He scooped it up and read quickly.

''To my rival,'' he said. ''I'm sure after reading this, you'll realise just what I'm capable of. Let's put an end to this like gentlemen, shall we? Come to Shooting Star Summit today at sundown. Then we'll find out exactly who's got the power here.''

Beneath this was the sender's name. Mr L, the Green Thunder, signed in curly handwriting with green ink.

Mario slowly put the message down and turned his gaze onto his brother.

Luigi hadn't moved from where he'd been standing before, but his posture had grown strangely stiff and his face was devoid of any expression. The hand that clutched his coffee mug was trembling. He placed it on the kitchen counter with a slow, deliberate movement and looked up to meet Mario's eyes. 'I'd better get ready, then,' he said in an emotionless voice.

The older plumber stood up so fast he knocked his chair flying. 'No! No way, Luigi! I told you before, we're in this together!'

'He'll _kill _you!' Luigi shot back. 'And anyway, this is a personal challenge.'

'So what?! I'm not gonna let you go alone. You know that.'

They sized each other up, both shaking with anger. Mario had drawn his fist back, fully prepared to knock his brother unconscious if it was necessary to prevent him running off alone. Then Luigi seemed to deflate. All the violent emotion drained out of his body in an instant.

'Fine,' he said quietly. 'You know best. We'll go together, tonight.' Mario exhaled slowly and let his fist drop, relief washing over him.

'Good thinking, bro,' he said, sauntering over to give his younger sibling a firm pat on the shoulder. 'Nobody will die, don't worry.' Luigi didn't answer, causing him to clear his throat a little awkwardly. 'So, what do you say about visiting the Café for lunch today? I don't feel up to cooking.'

'You never cook,' mumbled Luigi, though a faint smile was curving up one side of his mouth. 'All right. Grab your scarf and we'll head out.'

* * *

The day seemed to pass with agonising slowness for the two brothers. Mario was worried and failing to hide it. Luigi was brooding silently. Anyone who didn't know him well enough would have thought he was in a sulk, but Mario knew he was probably thinking up battle tactics or something of the sort. Luigi liked to prepare for every eventuality so that nothing would catch him off-guard, and he organised things with meticulous precision. He wouldn't go charging into danger without a well-considered plan – not like his brother.

When the sun finally began its sorrowful descent towards the western horizon, they both stopped right outside the gates that led into Peach's Castle grounds. They looked at each other and, as their eyes met, a feeling of electrical power surged between them as if they were about to head into the worst fight of their lives.

Mario could see the determination clear as day in his brother's eyes, but it was tempered with something akin to fear.

'Watch my back, will you?' Luigi broke the silence.

They grasped hands briefly. 'Course I will, bro,' replied Mario.

There was no reason to stand there talking any longer, so they both turned right and began walking up the purple rocky path that would lead them to Shooting Star Summit. It was time to confront the shadow before it could do any more harm.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Battle scene time... As I said before, I haven't played Super Paper Mario so any out-of-characterness is due to that. And I remember reading somewhere that Luigi has control over lightning, though I don't know if that's true. In any case, I wanted to use that ability.

Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

* * * *CHAPTER 5* * * *

Lightning crackled and thunder rolled over Shooting Star Summit. Mr L's powers clearly extended far beyond simply blasting opponents with electricity; here he had called up a storm to intimidate his rival.

Mario and Luigi clambered along the rocky path with gasping breaths, trying to avoid being blown to their deaths by the strengthening wind. They'd been forced to cling onto each other like mountaineers all the way up, and Mario had already lost his cap, but wisely hadn't stopped to retrieve it. For a moment it seemed like Mr L was going to kill them with the power of his created storm, but as they climbed onto the summit the wind began to slacken, although it didn't fade completely.

Luigi was the first up and stretched out a hand to help pull his brother to safety. Then he gazed around with an expression of awe. He'd never actually visited the top of Shooting Star Summit before and the view of the night sky was breathtaking, not the mention the small stars cascading down that gave the place its name. After absorbing the scenery to his heart's content, he turned slowly in search of his challenger.

Mr L stood alone in the centre of the summit. His dark-green bandanna whipped around like a short scarf in the breeze, and he looked exactly as he had in Luigi's dream. But the terrible sense of familiarity between them was gone. Now a grin was playing at the corner of his mouth, and Luigi saw those bright-white eyes narrow in contemplation as the two stared at each other.

'You asked for me,' he called, surprised at how normal his voice sounded. Perhaps it was Mario's presence beside him, but he didn't feel as terrified as he ought to have been. 'I came. So what now?'

Mr L laughed. It was a quiet but mocking sound, and cold shivers ran up the two brothers' spines as they listened. The shadowed figure didn't move, but they heard him speak as clearly as if he were standing right in front of them.

'You should know the answer to that! We're rivals. One of us must die to determine who has the greatest power!' His voice was extremely similar to Luigi's, but held a derisive note that his counterpart's would never have.

'You're insane!' Mario yelled back.

Mr L didn't reply to that, although he looked in Luigi's direction and said disapprovingly, 'You should've come alone! I didn't ask you to being Mr Jumpsallthetime. Even if he is your idiotic brother and deserves to die!'

Luigi's temper flared up. 'I'll bring whoever I want!' Then the strange nickname caught up with his brain and he stopped, bewildered. 'Wait, Mr _Jumpsallthetime?'_

Mario didn't look overly impressed either. 'It's time to end this,' he whispered, nudging his brother's shoulder impatiently. But Luigi was too interested in his evil shadow to notice.

'Can't we talk about this first?' he shouted. 'I really don't want to destroy you, but if you threaten my family again...' He trailed off into silence, but everyone knew he was referring to the incident with Wario. Next time, it could be someone more important to him who ended up in hospital because of this shadow's twisted games.

Mr L took a single step forwards, causing both brothers to tense in anticipation of a fight. 'I don't want to talk to you,' he retorted childishly. 'We're two sides of the same coin, right? But which of us is the _real _one? Only one way to find out!' He grinned viciously and advanced another step.

Luigi raised a gloved hand and closed his eyes momentarily, focusing on something. A second later they saw some sparks of electricity spring into life around his fist. Mario gasped, but the sound was lost in the gathering wind. Luigi very rarely displayed his control over lightning; it was an ability he only used in the direst situations.

'I don't know how strong _you _are,' he called back to his rival, sounding slightly more confident than before. 'But we won't let you hurt any more people. We'll defeat you no matter what it takes!' Mario frowned at this statement, remembering their conversation earlier that morning, when they'd discussed Luigi being willing to sacrifice himself to protect everyone else. It already felt like days ago.

But Mr L was only a small part of Luigi, created from the negative emotions that he so often kept well-hidden behind a brick wall. He might have had courage and power, but he was also highly overconfident and would never surrender even when he knew he was outnumbered.

And so with a howl of fury, he launched himself into the air and fired a burst of green lightning at his two opponents. Mario saw the long, forked bolt approaching at a terrible speed, but wasn't alarmed. Accustomed to dodging even faster attacks from his enemies, he sidestepped it easily.

Luigi similarly avoided the bolt, then raised his hand and tried to blast Mr L with his own lightning. His was bluish-coloured rather than green, and wasn't as large, but it looked like it could do a lot of damage. However, they never found out exactly how powerful it was, for Mr L dodged the strike effortlessly and retaliated again.

Mario threw up an arm to shield his eyes as the intense bursts of light played out across his vision, nearly blinding him.

Just as he was about to join the battle with a few fireballs of his own, he heard an awful shriek and saw something drop out of the sky. Mr L must have been struck by one of his counterpart's lightning bolts and fallen onto the summit. As he leapt to his feet, Mario noticed Luigi staggering a little as if drunk.

The electrical duel continued, but this time Mr L remained on the ground, giving himself slightly better mobility. He had exactly the same talents as his rival, such as an extremely high jump. But his electricity was stronger than Luigi's, and that became obvious as the two battled back and forth on top of the summit.

Mario gritted his teeth and, ignoring the blinding light that seared across his vision, leapt forwards a toss a handful of fire towards Mr L. It connected solidly, burning the shadow's arm and causing him to jump away with a surprised yelp. But then his eyes narrowed and he struck out with electricity, hitting Mario and knocking him at least ten feet backwards across the summit so he nearly fell over the edge.

'No!' Luigi screamed, abandoning his long-range electrical missiles and rushing forward to attack Mr L at closer range.

As the two punched and kicked at each other using almost identical movements, Mario groaned and staggered to his feet with some difficulty. He waited a few moments until his head stopped spinning. Then he suddenly heard a painful grunt from his brother, and looked up in time to see Luigi getting thrown back across the summit in much the same way he'd just been.

Mr L started forwards to finish off his opponent, but then stopped for no apparent reason, grimacing. As Luigi struggled to get up and defend himself, Mario saw some vicious-looking burns along his right side and arm.

'This isn't over yet!' the green-capped plumber cried, and with a monumental effort he re-ignited his electricity. Blue sparks crackled through his glove and ran up and down his singed arm, but they seemed considerably weaker than before.

Mr L stalked forwards until he was standing over Luigi, his own greenish lightning erupting from his hands in showers of sparks. He was still grinning, but the grin looked more insane than ever. He struck out with a foot and kicked his counterpart viciously in the stomach, sending him reeling back to the ground. Mario cried out in rage and rushed to help, but was knocked aside by another blast of electricity as if he weighed no more than a feather.

'Mario! Stay back, for Star Spirits' sake!' Luigi howled, trying to make himself heard over the windstorm.

Mr L was raising both hands, the green lightning that gave him his nickname swirling around in bright streaks. He smiled down at his counterpart and whispered, just loud enough to be audible, 'Say goodnight!' Before Mario could leap in to stop him, he released the electricity in a great blast, enveloping both himself and Luigi is a colourful explosion.

The light was so blinding that Mario was forced to look away. Amongst the noise and chaos he heard Luigi's scream of pain, but at exactly the same moment the lightning bolt disappeared and Mr L cried out, backing up.

He warily turned to see what was going on, scared of what he might find.

Luigi was in the process of clambering to his feet, dark smoke coiling upwards from his blackened clothing. He had some burns, but didn't appear to be as severely hurt as Mario had feared. Mr L was standing a few feet away, staring at his rival with an expression of shock and rage. His electrical powers seemed to have failed, leaving him without a weapon. Mario looked at him and was surprised to see Luigi's own injuries mirrored on his dark counterpart's body.

'Wh-what happened?' he cried, stumbling across the summit to his brother's side and helping him up. To his disbelief, Luigi was smiling slightly.

'We're two sides of the same coin,' he said softly so that only Mario could hear, mimicking Mr L's earlier words. 'If he hurts me, he hurts himself too.' The smile twisted into a defeated look. 'But that means we can't possibly beat him...'

'Don't worry.' Mario gazed up at the shadow, whose white eyes were narrowed in annoyance as he watched them talking, unable to hear them. 'We'll find a way. For now, let's just get you home, OK?'

Luigi nodded and looked at Mr L. His counterpart had not made any move to attack them, but they couldn't trust him. 'Harm anyone else and you'll regret it,' he shouted, hoping he sounded brave.

'You'll pay for this!' the shadow yelled back. 'Somehow I'll destroy you –_ both _of you!' He stopped shouting and leaned over slightly, wrapping an arm around his injured side. Once he regained his breath, he gazed up at them with an expression of utmost loathing. 'The Green Thunder never_ loses!'_

'Suit yourself,' was Mario's only response, cutting off whatever Luigi had been about to say. He put an arm around his brother and they both turned away from the mountaintop, walking with a halting gait.

They never looked back at Mr L as they left, but the windstorm raging around them gradually abated the further they got from the summit. It took them nearly half an hour to reach Peach's Castle grounds – which were deserted at this time of night, save for a few lights in the windows – and once they did, they stopped and exchanged uneasy glances. Both were thinking similar things.

'That was too close,' said Mario in a low tone. _'Way_ too close. Next time he might not be injured enough to let us get away.'

Luigi shrugged. 'He can't hurt me without hurting himself, and vice versa. There's no way to defeat him properly, unless –'

_'No,' _said Mario firmly, interrupting him. 'You're not sacrificing yourself.'

'I wasn't going to suggest that!'

'Yes you were.'

The two brothers stared at each other in uncomfortable silence for a while. Finally Luigi broke the tension, speaking up.

'Let's go and get some rest. Tomorrow morning, we'll brainstorm. We gotta come up with a way to stop this guy.' He drew in a shuddering breath. For a moment Mario thought it was due to the pain from his injuries, but then he noticed the fear in his brother's eyes. 'I really thought we could just talk to him, but you were right, bro. He's crazy.'

'Yep,' said the older plumber, nodding wisely. Sensing Luigi needed some sort of reassurance, he reached up to put a hand on his shoulder. 'Look, we'll find a way to beat him. And we won't need to sacrifice anybody to do it.'

'I'm not so sure...' Luigi murmured, but quiet enough that no-one heard.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: After the action-filled last chapter, this one is a little shorter and more peaceful. It'll pick up again soon!

Also disclaimer... the little quote used by Mario is from the Harry Potter books and thus owned by J.K. Rowling... just so that nobody thinks I'm trying to steal.

* * *

* * * *CHAPTER 6* * * *

'Oww!'

'Careful there, sweetie.' Daisy, the current princess of Sarasaland, grinned mischievously as she sat in a chair beside Luigi's bed. 'Don't push yourself, OK? You can go after this guy again when you're better.'

Luigi groaned under his breath and slumped back against the stack of pillows, which he suspected was four or five layers thick. On the table beside him was an empty coffee mug and a pile of books. Mario hadn't cut any corners ensuring his little brother stayed comfortable throughout his recovery, and was doing whatever he could to make things easier for him.

It was two days after their failed confrontation with Mr L, and there had been no news of any more attacks on the citizenry since then. Even Wario was out of hospital and back home, recovering so fast it was almost unnatural. During his long hours of lying in bed with nothing much to do, Luigi had entertained the possibility that the evil shadow no longer _wanted _to fight, but when he put the idea before his brother, Mario had shaken his head and said it was ridiculous. Mr L was undoubtedly a threat.

But Luigi wasn't too keen on the prospect of going after his dark counterpart again. Their first battle had ended in disaster on both sides, as neither could attack the other without getting hurt themselves. Mr L had badly injured himself trying to kill Luigi before, and so – unless he was really stupid - he wouldn't attempt it a second time.

Now, with Mr L apparently lying low and Luigi still recovering in bed, the days had gone by without incident. Daisy had arrived in town the morning after the battle, wanting to see her friends and check up on how the Mushroom Kingdom was doing.

Unknown to everybody else, Daisy had had a bit of a crush on Luigi for a while. She'd never tried to tell him, although she'd been tempted to ask Mario if there was any chance the green plumber liked her back. For the time being, she was trying to forget about it. There were more important matters to attend to – like catching up with people.

Mario suddenly walked into the bedroom, carrying another mug of coffee, which he deposited on the table without a word. Daisy looked up and smiled at him. 'Hi, Mario! Still working?' Then she glanced at the man on the bed. 'Wow, Weegee, I bet it feels great having someone else doing everything for a change.'

'It does have its merits,' Luigi admitted, taking the coffee mug with a soft murmur of 'grazie'. He turned his gaze onto his brother with a slight smirk. 'I just wish I'd had a camera handy when you washed the dishes earlier, your expression was priceless.'

'Like he was handling rotten mushrooms?' Daisy asked. Luigi nodded and they both burst into uncontrollable laughter.

'Nice to see you're getting some fun out of this,' said Mario, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. If anyone else had been teasing him in such a way, he would've been annoyed. But this was his brother and one of his closest friends. And for some reason he couldn't make himself get angry when he saw the way they looked at each other. He was sure there was something hidden there, but maybe they were both unaware of it.

'S-sorry,' Daisy spluttered, finally getting herself somewhat under control. She coughed a few times before she was able to look at Mario without cracking up. Luigi swiped a hand across his eyes, brushing away tears of laughter, and carefully placed the half-empty coffee mug down on the table.

Mario shook his head, half in amusement, half in disbelief. 'Honestly.'

Daisy let out another laugh before sobering up a little. 'Sorry about that. So anyway, how long are you gonna be stuck here, Weegee?'

Luigi rolled his eyes. Daisy was the only person who could get away with calling him _Weegee, _the ridiculous nickname he'd picked up sometime during their school years. If anyone else said it he hated them.

'I'm not sure,' he replied. 'Probably another day or two. I got burned pretty badly.'

'Yeah...' the Sarasaland princess trailed off thoughtfully. 'But didn't this Mr L guy have the same injuries as you? So he should be nearly recovered by now.'

Mario nodded, seating himself on the end of the bed in an effort to get more comfortable. 'Unless he uses magic to heal faster than other people,' he said. 'We not really sure what he's capable of.'

'He uses lightning as a weapon,' interjected Luigi. 'And it looked like he could control the wind, too. He made a storm to try and frighten us.'

'Seems like his abilities are kinda similar to yours,' mused Daisy. 'Except for the storm summoning thing. I bet he can't heal himself any faster than you.'

Luigi shrugged helplessly. 'Nobody knows that.'

Mario glanced curiously at the two of them, noticing how much the conversation had changed from lighthearted to serious in the last few minutes. Although he didn't show it, he was very worried for his little brother, who had spent the last two days talking and thinking endlessly about Mr L. He knew Luigi wanted to get rid of the shadow for good, but at the same time nobody had any clue how to do it. Neither could hurt the other without getting hurt themselves...

'Neither can live while the other survives,' he muttered under his breath, causing both Luigi and Daisy to glance up in obvious surprise.

'Where'd that come from, Mario?' the princess asked, her voice curious.

'Uh, just something that popped into my head,' he responded, shrugging. Then he quickly changed the subject. 'So what's our plan for defeating this guy? I keep saying Luigi can't do it, because he'd kill himself if he tried, but he won't let me go either.'

'Because you have even _more _chance of getting killed!' Daisy pointed out before Luigi could even open his mouth. The brothers had already told her everything Merlon the fortuneteller had said, including the fatal connection between Luigi and Mr L. 'Listen, I have a better idea. Why don't you get a team of friends to fight him? If you all work together you can easily kick his sorry butt.'

For once Luigi didn't laugh at her language.

'This... shadow... is merciless,' he said seriously. 'He'll incinerate you all with his lightning without a moment's hesitation. But he won't hurt me again, because he knows what'll happen to him if he does.'

Both Mario and Daisy had to admit that he had a point. 'But that doesn't explain how _you're _going to defeat him!' said the Sarasaland princess impatiently. Luigi averted his gaze and said nothing.

'This is hopeless...' Mario sighed. 'We can't agree on any plan.'

Quite suddenly, Luigi sat up straight in bed and raised a hand, an odd look taking over his face. 'You know, maybe we should ask Merlon for help again,' he suggested. 'He's a fortuneteller. I'm sure he can give us some idea what to do.'

Mario and Daisy exchanged worried glances. They were both thinking the same thing. What if Merlon told them that the only way to beat Mr L was by sacrificing Luigi's life?

'Maybe we shouldn't...' the princess began to say, in a guarded tone, but plumber in question immediately interrupted.

'We've got no choice! Merlon's the only person who might be able to help us now. Soon as I'm healed up, we're going to see him. Mario, if you won't come then I'll just go by myself.' He shot them both a defiant look before leaning back against the mountain of pillows, the effort of moving aggravating his injuries. He let out a slight cough and winced. Daisy shifted closer to him in concern.

'I don't like this,' Mario mumbled, but no-one heard.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: After writing this I couldn't decide whether this chapter was a little too dramatic near the end... Ah well, it's labelled as Drama/Family I suppose.

Enjoy, and please leave a review! Also thanks to Stuffwell359 and Verran for all of your reviews!

* * *

* * * *CHAPTER 7* * * *

There was a definite feeling of dread in the air as the brothers walked towards Merlon's odd little house. They were aware that whatever the fortuneteller told them might not be something they wanted to hear, if he could tell them anything at all. Luigi had been insistent on going, but Mario was having doubts. He wasn't sure he could protect his brother if he decided to rush off for a suicidal attack on Mr L.

It was a full four days after their last battle and Luigi had finally recovered enough to leave the house (accompanied by an overprotective Mario, obviously). The morning had dawned bright and cold, a perfect winter day. There were white clouds rolling inland from the sea and the weather forecast said there could be a chance of snow that night.

'I dunno why we have to leave so early,' Mario complained, rubbing his arms in an attempt to generate some heat. 'Couldn't it wait until later, at least?'

'There's no time,' Luigi retorted sharply. He was striding ahead, not waiting for his brother to catch up. 'What if we need to attack Mr L today?'

Mario followed at a slower pace and didn't reply. He'd been even more worried for Luigi in the last couple of days. He'd been talking nonstop about Mr L and had a strangely distant look on his face since they got up this morning. He knew his little brother was contemplating something, and he was sure he wouldn't like it.

Through the sunlit haze that covered the town they spotted Merlon's house on the corner, its roof spinning as usual. The fortuneteller himself was standing just outside the door, glancing around as though searching for something. Even at that distance Mario could tell he was anxious.

'Hey, Merlon!' Luigi cried out a greeting, running the rest of the way up to the house and waving his hands. 'We're here!'

Mario jogged reluctantly after him, wondering how he'd known Merlon was waiting for _them, _rather than somebody else. 'Everything OK?' he asked when he was close enough to talk.

The cloaked man looked at them and didn't say a word for a very long moment. When he did speak, his voice was low and more grave than they'd ever heard it.

'Mario. Luigi. You've arrived,' he said, offering his long-sleeved hand for each brother to shake. 'I was waiting. I have something very important to say, to it's best if we step inside for a while.'

He stood back and opened the door, gesturing impatiently for them to enter. Luigi obeyed without hesitation; it seemed that he trusted Merlon more after all the help he'd given them in the past. Mario, however, glanced suspiciously at the old man before stepping quickly into the house.

Merlon shut the door with a snap and went to stand in his usual spot behind the crystal-ball, watching them over the top of the glistening transparent orb.

'I have news,' he said in a clipped tone. 'Another oracle came to me last night, and with it came a dreadful message. It is about you, Luigi, and your dark counterpart, the one who named himself Mr L.'

Both brothers nodded, and the green plumber nervously spoke up: 'C-can you really tell us how to defeat him?'

'That is... a part of what the oracle told me,' replied the fortuneteller evasively. 'The rest was something far more sinister, and I am still having doubts as to whether I should recite it to you.'

They waited, but he still didn't say anything further. Mario tapped a hand on the crystal-ball in exasperation. It was a sign of how agitated Merlon was that he made no move to protect the precious orb. 'So what is this all about?!' he cried.

'You said you know how we can destroy him,' added Luigi. 'Please, _please_ tell us. We can't let him hurt any more people. He must be stopped. I might be the only one who can stop him...' He looked upset and worried, and Mario put an arm around his shoulders. 'I don't care what we have to do, just tell us.'

Merlon released a huge, sorrowful sigh that ruffled the edges of his hood.

'I was afraid of this,' he whispered. 'You are determined to go to any lengths to save the townsfolk – and the kingdom – from this shadow. Perhaps I_ shouldn't _tell you.'

'You've got to!' Luigi protested.

'I know.' They couldn't see anything of Merlon's face except his eyes, but Mario thought he was smiling sadly. 'Very well. Now... as you already know, Mr L cannot be defeated through any normal means. If Luigi harms him, he will receive the same damage to himself, and vice versa. They are linked, bound together, for they are really just two sides of –'

'The same coin,' the green plumber finished for him, nodding. He remembered the words Mr L had spoken to him back at Shooting Star Summit. They were engraved in his memory, and he wasn't sure he would ever forget them.

'Yes indeed.' The fortuneteller paused for a second, then continued. 'Therefore, there is no easy way for this... Mr L to be destroyed. Attempting to harm him will only cause you to hurt yourself.'

Mario lifted a tentative hand, as if he were sitting in a school classroom asking for permission to speak. When everyone turned their gazes on him, he flushed slightly and said, 'Uhh, would it be possible for someone else to fight Mr L? Like me? Then we could defeat him and Luigi wouldn't be hurt...'

'No,' responded Merlon at once, before the green plumber could raise his voice in angry protest. 'I have researched this. I believe that the dark shadow's power is so great, no-one except Luigi is safe confronting him. You saw how easily he knocked you aside at Shooting Star Summit?'

Mario blinked. 'You were watching us?'

'I don't watch. I know.' Without giving the brothers a chance to wonder about this cryptic comment, Merlon added, 'I suppose I must now tell you the only possible way for you to destroy this being for good...'

He didn't sound like he wanted to.

Luigi drew in a shuddering breath. For the first time Mario noticed how tense he looked – high-strung and nervous with anticipation. He felt guilty for not realising something was troubling him earlier. He wasn't the only one who was worried, and now he saw that his brother felt every bit as terrible as he did.

'Please just get it over with,' Luigi muttered.

Merlon hesitated for another few seconds as though mustering his courage to say his final words. Then, with startling abruptness, he grasped the green plumber's hand and said in a harsh whisper, 'There is only one thing you can do... You must kill yourself, and in doing so Mr L will also die, and nobody will ever have to do battle with the fiend.'

* * *

Mario felt dead and cold inside.

This must be a dream, he thought. A really vivid dream that I'm going to wake up from soon. And sure enough, the world around him had assumed an atmosphere of unreality, and his head was swimming. He felt like he was viewing everything through the eyes of another person and had no control over what their body did. He couldn't even remember what happened right after they left Merlon's house. All he was aware of was walking home in a strange, heavy stupor, while his brother – his soon-to-be-_dead _brother – frantically tried to get him to say something, anything.

But he couldn't speak. He had no control.

He was vaguely surprised when he suddenly saw their house in front of him, as it seemed to have materialised from nowhere. Luigi pushed past him and unlocked the door, letting them both inside without another word.

As soon as he was back in these familiar surroundings, Mario's world exploded.

'What is your PROBLEM?!' he snarled, whirling on his brother and grabbing the front of his shirt. 'Why didn't you say anything? Are you really planning on doing this... this _thing? _It's not right, Luigi!'

The taller man gazed at him in shock for a moment or two, then responded as carefully and quietly as he could.

'Because I _have _to! Don't you understand anything, Mario?'

'All I understand right now is that you're gonna get yourself killed in an act of stupid heroism, _Fratello!' _He spat the last word bitterly, reverting to Italian as he often did when extremely angry or distressed.

'Stupid heroism?' Luigi let out a sarcastic bark of laughter. 'You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?'

Mario shoved him hard, releasing his white-knuckled grip on his shirt at the same time. Luigi went toppling backwards, collapsing heavily onto the floor with a grunt of pain. He stared up at his brother, gaping in disbelief. 'Y-you _pushed _me!'

'You're an idiot!' snapped Mario. If he'd been thinking clearly, he would have seen exactly what effect his harsh words were having on his little brother. But his vision was red and all he could feel was rage, and beneath that an overpowering fear. 'You're seriously going to do this? After all the enemies we've beaten together, you're gonna leave me behind and let yourself get killed trying to defeat one guy? What if that fortuneteller was wrong? What if killing yourself _doesn't_ destroy him?'

'I – have to try,' Luigi whispered. His face had gone deathly pale, and he hadn't even tried to move off the floor. 'He'll hurt everyone else...'

Mario glared at him. 'So, you finally tell me the truth,' he said in an uncharacteristically cold voice. 'You're so desperate to be the hero that you'll do _this!'_

'Huh – what?'

'I know how you feel, Luigi! Everyone says how you sit at home being miserable whenever I go out on adventures. I thought it was 'cause you missed me, or you were worried about me. But now I see you just wanted my fame.'

'What?! That's ridiculous, Mario! Are you even listening to yourself right now?'

But the red plumber didn't seem to be listening to anyone, least of all himself.

'I'm tired of looking after you!' he shouted. 'If you're serious about killing yourself just so that you can be the hero for once, then fine. I won't waste my time trying to talk you out of it.' He spun on his heel and marched straight towards the open front door, face tight and strained.

Luigi scrambled to his feet and reached out imploringly, but his brother was already outside. A moment later, the door slammed shut so hard that the windows rattled.

He let his hand drop. His body felt numb, but his heart was tearing itself apart. Mario was gone. He'd left, and probably wouldn't bother coming back.

He was so pathetic and useless that even his own brother hated him.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I only have one thing to put here... LuigixDaisy.

I wouldn't normally write about them, but somehow I felt it worked in this particular story. HOWEVER, it's not a major part of the story, so don't worry if it's not your kind of thing. Main focus is still on Mr L, Mario and Luigi.

* * *

* * * *CHAPTER 8* * * *

Daisy was out on her daily stroll through Toad Town, enjoying the sights. The sky, which had earlier been clear and sunny, was now swamped with thick white clouds that promised a snowfall. The town itself was mostly deserted as the residents had no real urge to go outside on such a freezing-cold day.

Not Daisy, though. She hummed cheerily to herself as she walked the empty streets, tugging her orange coat tighter and adjusted the emerald-green scarf around her neck. The latter had been a Christmas gift from Luigi; she remembered with a small laugh how nervous he'd looked when he presented her with the brightly wrapped box, unsure whether she would like it. But she'd loved it, and it'd certainly come in handy throughout this month as the weather grew ever colder.

As she passed the entrance of Toad Town, she spotted a familiar warp pipe sitting in the corner. This pipe would take her directly to the house of the Mario brothers – unless it was blocked again.

For a moment she considered going to visit them. After all, she had nothing scheduled, and was starting to feel a pang of loneliness when she saw how desolate the streets were this morning. But before she could make a firm decision, something tall and green half-jumped, half-fell out of the pipe, collapsed onto the sidewalk and lay there in a motionless heap. Daisy let out a great gasp.

'Luigi!' She dropped to her knees at his side, not caring if the damp ground got her dress filthy. Gently placing a hand on his back, she tried to get his attention. 'Sweetie, what happened? Don't tell me you're injured again.'

'I-I-I'm f-fine,' he stammered, teeth chattering from the cold. He obviously hadn't taken the time to grab a coat or scarf on the way out of his house. Daisy removed the green scarf from her own neck and wrapped it around his, while helping him clamber to his feet. He was trembling violently and had a dazed, unfocused expression.

'What happened?' she repeated more insistently.

'M-Mario,' he said shortly. She didn't say anything, and Luigi abruptly let out a loud, bitter laugh. 'Mario is what happened.'

Daisy kept a hand on his shoulder to steady him; he looked like he was about to topple over. His odd speech and behaviour made her wonder if he was drunk, but she'd never known him to be a heavy drinker. 'What did Mario do?' she asked him, slowly and clearly.

All of a sudden the fake laughter vanished; he just looked cold and numb and hopeless. 'Mario h-h-hates m-me,' he whispered. 'He doesn't care if I die. H-h-he said so.'

'What!' Immediately the Sarasaland princess pressed him for an explanation. He told her, with obvious reluctance, about the things Merlon had said that morning, ending with a brief description of the fight between himself and his brother. After he fell silent, Daisy stared at him in shock for a long while.

'Mario was wrong to say that,' she finally responded. 'But... I'm sure he doesn't really mean it. C'mon, he's your big brother! He's just really worried about you, and angry 'cause he thinks you're gonna try and off yourself.'

Luigi's expression brightened with hope for a split second, but then sank back into depression again. 'B-but that's not all,' he murmured. 'Mario's right. I _am _going to... you know.'

It took a moment for the full truth of that sentence to register in Daisy's brain.

'WHAT!' she repeated, even louder than before. Her hand on his shoulder became white-knuckled. 'Are you kidding?!' She hesitated and got a good look at his face. '...You really are, aren't you?' she finished, in a more subdued tone.

'I _have _to,' replied Luigi, feeling like a broken record. How many times had he spoken those three words or something akin to them today? 'This guy will attack more people, maybe _kill _everyone, if I can't put an end to him.'

Daisy didn't have an answer to that. She just kept standing there silently, gripping his shoulder as the sky darkened. A few tiny flakes of snow started to drift down, but she barely noticed. She felt like she was living in a strange dream, and as long as she kept hold of him he wouldn't go anywhere, wouldn't abandon her.

After what felt like almost an hour, Luigi shifted a bit, prompting her to slide her hand down his arm to interlock their fingers instead. 'Don't go,' she whispered. 'We can find another way. Merlon can't be right all the time. Listen – why don't we sit down and think of another plan together, this instant? I'll help you, I promise.'

She knew her pleas were falling on deaf ears even before she stopped speaking. Luigi looked into her eyes and gave her a small sad smile, tightening his fingers in hers for a second. It was that smile that made her realise, he really was going to go through with his plan. There were times when Luigi was one hundred percent serious about something, and this was one of those times.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered brokenly. 'I... I don't really want to do it, but there's no other way to beat this guy, this Mr L.'

'Sweetie...'

Before she could finish (not that she had any idea what she was going to say), he leaned forwards and brushed their lips together with a feather-light touch. It happened so quickly that when he pulled back, it took her a very long moment to realise he'd actually just kissed her.

'I'm sorry,' he murmured, his face still only inches from hers. 'I wish things – _everything _could be different. I wish...' He trailed off without explanation, and she felt a massive shudder run through his body just before he removed his hand from her grasp. 'I-If Mario asks about me, tell him I forgive him.' The last words came out in a breathless gasp, and before Daisy could gather herself and stop him, he turned and dashed away into the slowly falling snow.

She snapped back to reality and lunged out for him, but he was already out of sight around the corner. And she knew he wouldn't come back, because he'd as good as told her what he intended to do.

'LUIGI!'

* * *

The icy wind whipped around the castle roof, bringing thick flakes of snow. In a few minutes Peach's castle grounds would be entirely covered in a white blanket. Streaks of unnatural greenish lightning flashed in the background between the gaps in the clouds. The storm was growing, gathering power from Mr L's fury, his desire for vengeance.

He was little more than a silhouetted figure as he walked back and forth across the red-tiled roof, pacing relentlessly. His bandanna fluttered around in the wind and he briefly considered tearing it off – it was going to get in the way when he fought. But he wanted to look his best when his counterpart came. He grinned a little and his silvery eyes shone more brightly in the dark. Eyes that white should have been blind, but he could see well.

Inwardly, he was laughing at how perfect this situation was. He'd chosen his battlefield differently this time, as Shooting Star Summit hadn't worked out. Instead he'd come to the very place he and Luigi had first seen each other... outside of the dream realm, of course. Here, things – _everything _would be settled once and for all.

He'd already fixed the small problem of how he would hurt Luigi without doing the same damage to himself. In the days following that battle he'd puzzled over it endlessly, agonising over it, trying to find a solution. At first he'd wondered if it was something to do with Shooting Star Summit – maybe the magic of that place was meant to dissuade people from fighting?

But no. His instincts told him that wasn't the answer. He continued to contemplate the issue while he waited for his wounds to heal, knowing Luigi's identical injuries would prevent the two from fighting for a little while. And just in time, he came across something that he felt might be correct...

He'd said it himself, hadn't he? Luigi was the Other Side of His Coin, the opposite part of him. Made from all the good parts of the little weakling, while he was made of the negative emotions, the _power. _Maybe he and Luigi couldn't hurt each other because they were essentially the same person.

So how could he fix this problem? He couldn't deal with the prospect of his cowardly counterpart still living while he was around. He wanted to show everyone, especially that idiot Mr Jumpsallthetime – or Mario as he was more often named – that he was the one with the real strength. The one who deserved to live. Luigi was a pathetic piece of _nothing _who'd spent his life hiding and sobbing in his big brother's shadow... what kind of pointless existence was _that? _Honestly, he was doing his counterpart a favour by getting rid of him.

But he still hadn't known how to harm Luigi without injuring himself. Direct attacks, obviously, would be useless. But what about indirect attacks? At that moment, he'd had an idea that he thought might be his greatest ever. If he wasn't the one inflicting damage on his rival, could it be done? Yes. He thought so.

Suddenly Mr L tilted his head back gazing upwards at the raging grey sky as though he'd heard some faint sound. His grin widened.

'He's coming,' he whispered to himself.

Luigi was definitely on his way. Now all _he _had to do was hang around and wait.


	9. Chapter 9

* * * *CHAPTER 9* * * *

The crowd had gathered around the front of Peach's castle, watching the chaos of the green lighting storm play out up above. The strong wind battered against them, forcing the small Toads to cling to each other; the princess' beloved parasol had already been pulled out of her hand and taken by the elements. She was shaking her head in disbelief, not noticing that a certain plumber was approaching from behind.

'I don't know what happened!' she cried. 'The storm just blew up out of nowhere...'

'Luckily you had the quick thinking to evacuate the castle immediately!' wheezed her old steward Toadsworth, clutching his walking-stick and staying close to the princess' side. 'No-one was harmed, thank the Stars!'

Just then, Mario appeared and put a tentative arm around Peach. 'I know who caused it,' he said softly, his voice barely audible over the howling of the wind.

'Who?' she questioned.

'Luigi's evil counterpart, Mr L.' As quickly as he could, Mario gave her an abridged version of everything they'd discovered in the last week. Merlon thinks that the only way to destroy this guy is for L-Luigi to kill himself, because they are connected... one can't live without the other.' He choked up and couldn't say anything more.

'Oh, that's horrible,' cried Peach. 'But surely Luigi doesn't plan on actually doing this? He knows how much we all love him. He'll find another way...'

'That's just it,' Mario whispered. 'We had an argument a little while ago, and I said... bad things to him. Knowing what Luigi's like, he probably thinks I hate him now.'

Peach turned to look directly at him for the first time since he arrived. She was tempted to interrogate him, to ask exactly _what _he said to his brother that could potentially make Luigi turn suicidal. But upon seeing the sheer amount of grief, regret and horror mixed into Mario's expression, she fell silent. It wasn't entirely his fault that this happened. Luigi was always a bit self-sacrificing – he'd probably go through with his plan even if Mario had tried to stop him.

Instead of asking questions, she just said, 'Maybe you should go to him.'

'I can't,' Mario said hopelessly. 'Merlon told us that Mr L's so powerful, he'll instantly destroy anyone who isn't Luigi. At least... at least my bro has a little chance of standing up to him.'

'But he's going to get himself killed! He... _wants_ to...'

The red-capped plumber said nothing, and Peach guessed he was in a state of shock, unable to speak through his emotions. He really did regret hurting his brother, she realised. He was afraid that his last words to Luigi would be something cruel and uncaring.

He would never recover if that happened.

She was about to say something in an effort to console him, but they were rudely interrupted by the arrival of a bedraggled, out-of-breath and very upset-looking Daisy.

'He's come this way!' she shouted without preamble. The others stared at her, not comprehending. 'Luigi! He ran this way. He's going to fight this Mr L-shadow-guy! We have to stop him!'

'We haven't seen him, Daisy,' Peach told her friend as gently as she could. 'I just evacuated my subjects from the castle because of this storm, and Mario hasn't seen him anywhere either.'

Abruptly, the Sarasaland princess rounded on Mario with a look of intense fury printed on her face. 'You MORON! You're the reason he ran off like that! I met him after he left his house. He was _horrified_ by the things you said to him – he told me he was going to kill himself fighting Mr L because no-one _cared _about him!'

Mario had gone very white and was making odd noises in his throat. 'I-I-I...'

Her tirade over, Daisy left him standing there and turned back to Peach. 'You. Send someone up onto the roof. That's obviously where Luigi and Mr L went. You have to put a stop to this stupid fight, _now.'_

'I-I can't,' Peach stammered, slightly frightened by the icy coldness in her friend's eyes. 'The Toads can't climb up there –'

'So send _Mario! _He's responsible for this mess anyway!' Daisy was rapidly gathering steam for a second explosion.

Just then, Toadsworth hobbled across to the two princesses and raised a withered hand for peace. 'Please, halt a moment!' he cried. 'Something is happening on the castle roof!'

Like one creature, every head turned towards the stormy sky and the darkened castle silhouetted against it. Without anyone even noticing, the wind had abated and the green lightning no longer streaked through the clouds. The ferocious energy was focused on something different.

'Look!' Daisy screamed, pointing. 'Up there, on the right!'

Two black figures were standing twenty feet apart on the roof, apparently staring at each other. They must have been talking, but of course nobody on the ground below could hear a word. One of the figures had a short bandanna tied around its neck and the other was wearing a long scarf that flapped wildly in the breeze.

'It's Luigi and Mr L,' Peach whispered, wringing her hands together. 'Oh _no.'_

* * *

Luigi was nearly blasted off the castle roof multiple times before he finally succeeded in climbing to the top. The windstorm was getting ridiculous now, screaming through the sky, and the bright flashes of green lightning that half-blinded him every few seconds weren't exactly helping.

But at last he managed to get onto the wide, flat part of the roof. As soon as he did, the hurricane abated somewhat. He shakily stood up straight and looked around. He knew Mr L was somewhere nearby; he could feel him. 'I know you're there!' he cried out, nervousness making his voice tremble.

Nothing happened for a long moment, then he heard an answering laugh echoing back to his position. The wind stilled, the lightning vanished, and through the haze of rain that continued to fall he spotted a very familiar figure standing motionless at the other side of the roof, a figure with glowing silvery eyes.

'I knew you'd come!' Mr L shouted, his tone high and mocking – slightly childish too, Luigi couldn't help but think. 'You couldn't resist the urge to come up and prove your heroism to the kingdom. Could you, Weegee?'

The plumber scowled at the nickname, the one nobody other than Princess Daisy was allowed to call him. He felt a pang in his heart as he remembered her. He knew for certain he'd never see her again, and now he was regretting not taking a while longer to give her the proper goodbye she deserved. Although Mr L's intention had been to frighten him, the result was quite the opposite. Knowing that Daisy might be killed if he couldn't stop this monster made him all the more determined to win.

He clenched a fist and concentrated fiercely, feeling blue sparks crackle and shoot from his hand. 'I'm ready,' he said. 'Let's finish this!'

Mr L burst out laughing. 'And have you spared a thought for _how _you're going to defeat me, Weegee?' he asked. 'Yes, I've figured it all out by now. We can't hurt each other directly without suffering the same wounds ourselves!'

'Then what are you going to do?' Luigi shot back. He didn't want his evil counterpart to know his own plans yet.

But Mr L just smiled and, turning away, jumped off the edge of the castle roof. The wind picked up a little more as Luigi stood stock-still, unsure what had just occurred. Was his counterpart so insane that he'd killed himself? But no, if that had really happened then he'd be dead as well.

He didn't have to wait long. A minute or so later he heard a whirring of engines and machinery, and a tremor rocked the entire castle, causing him to topple over and land hard on his back. He looked up, trembling, and saw a massive shape blocking out the sky. As his eyes adjusted to the poor light level, he realised it was in fact a robot – a great flying robot controlled by his evil shadow. But that wasn't the most horrible thing. The robot was constructed to resemble a giant version of his own head.

'Hahaha!' laughed Mr L from inside the cockpit. 'Give a warm welcome to Brobot! He and I share a bond, you know...'

Luigi found himself crawling rapidly backwards to escape the sight of the hideous thing. 'H-how does this work?!' he cried. 'You still can't hurt me!'

'I've thought that out, doofus!' Mr L retorted. 'I can't damage you _directly _without damaging myself... But what if I do it _indirectly? _Yes, I'm gonna use Brobot to smash you into little pieces! I'll never have to lay a finger on you myself!' He erupted into hysterical, slightly demented-sounding laughter.

Luigi felt a sharp, cold shiver run up his spine as he watched the mechanical menace floating in the storm-driven sky above him. His counterpart was right. That robot would be able to hurt him.

Still, he wouldn't go down without a fight. His plans hadn't changed – he would destroy this robot, and then he'd end himself and let Mr L fade with him.

Leaping to his feet, he struck a heroic pose and let electricity surge from his fist, ready to attack. 'Come on!'

'Have at you!'

'HYYAARGH!'

'Aargh!'

Laser beams shot from the Brobot's cannons, barely missing Luigi as he jumped and ducked around them. His natural speed and agility gave him a strong advantage here. The Brobot, however dangerous, couldn't seem to move and aim fast enough to hit him.

Mr L didn't take long to realise this and it infuriated him. 'STAND STILL, YOU WIMPY PIECE OF JUNK!' he cried, firing another round of lasers that missed his counterpart. He swore loudly in Italian. 'I need a better strategy here...'

Luigi, who had just dodged the latest attack effortlessly, stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He was smiling, and the knowledge that he was still better than Mr L made him feel wonderfully alive. Ironic, really, considering what he planned to do.

'Take THIS!' he yelled, leaping up into the air with all his strength and delivering a powerful electrical punch to the Brobot's side. He made a dent in the metal, but to his slight dismay the robot seemed to still be fully functional.

Mr L spotted the look on his face, and grinned. 'Yeah, how's that? Your pathetic attacks can't hurt my little mechanical brother!' he bragged.

Luigi wasn't listening. He took advantage of his shadow's distraction to jump again and land a kick on the underside of the Brobot. This time, he hit something vital and a cloud of smoke billowed out. Through the thick haze he was aware of Mr L cursing repeatedly, trying to repair his machinery.

'AWW, DAMMIT!' he cried, finally abandoning his attempts and leaping out of the cockpit. He landed on the castle roof and glared at Luigi with vicious loathing, not even glancing back as the smoking debris of the Brobot crashed somewhere in the castle grounds.

'All right,' he said through clenched teeth, raising a hand and stepping deliberately forwards. 'This ends _now.'_

* * *

The combat continued for several minutes, though it was little more than pointless circling around and sizing each other up. Mr L was obviously intending to make an attack that would instantly kill Luigi without hurting himself, and was struggling to come up with a way to accomplish this.

Luigi realised his counterpart still didn't know about the death thing – that if one side of the coin died, they both would.

They stalked around each other once more, moving like two dancers, smooth and synchronised. Then Mr L suddenly lunged forwards with an electrical punch which Luigi quickly evaded, and they were back at square one.

The shadow was snarling in frustration. 'There must be a way to do this!' he shouted.

'There is,' Luigi responded in a quiet tone. He immediately felt Mr L starting to pay more attention as he spoke. It was strange and a little uncomfortable how he could often sense what his counterpart was thinking. He didn't want such a close connection with someone who intended to kill him and all of his friends. 'Will you listen to me?'

Mr L stopped circling. 'Talk,' he growled.

A hint of nervousness crept into Luigi's voice as he began to quickly recall everything Merlon the fortuneteller had told him. He wasn't sure why he was telling the shadow this. He supposed he just wanted his opponent to know what he planned to do, before he actually went and did it.

By the time he'd finished, Mr L's face had gone deathly white – or what little could be seen of it around his mask. His hands were shaking and for the very first time, Luigi saw he was scared.

'Wh-what is this nonsense you speak of?!' he snapped angrily in a brave attempt to regain his composure. 'A-are you saying that neither of us can live if one dies?!'

Luigi had been expecting a reaction, but he still found himself surprised by the complete change in the shadow's bearing. He nodded silently in confirmation, and Mr L's shoulders sunk.

'Then there is nothing I can do,' he said, his voice sounding like a bewildered child's. He wasn't stating a fact; he was asking a question to himself. 'I can't kill you no matter what I try.'

'Yes.' Luigi took a single step forwards and Mr L, still reeling from the revelation, took one backwards out of instinct. 'And I know that if I let you live, you're going to hurt the innocent people of the Mushroom Kingdom. So...'

He lifted a hand and blue sparks of lightning crackled up and down his forearm.

'I'm going to kill myself,' he continued, and shocked himself by how easily he spoke those words.

It seemed to take Mr L and long time to figure out his meaning.

'NO!' he yelled, eyes widening in fear and disbelief. 'Are you crazy?!' He lunged forwards, hand outstretched. But he was never going to be fast enough.

Luigi smiled slightly and, with an effort, turned the full power of his lightning upon himself. The last thing he remembered seeing was those blind-white eyes gazing back at him, as familiar as his own.

* * *

A/N: Don't kill me... everything will be explained in the next (and final) chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Ah, the last chapter. I hope this doesn't get confusing, as it's pretty long and is mostly dream scenes. I couldn't decide how to end it at first, but I came up with something, and luckily no-one dies...

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, especially Verran for the in-depth reviews on each chapter. I appreciate it.

Also, I've put up a poll on my profile page regarding the main character(s) of my next Mario story. It will either be a oneshot or a short (three or four chapter) story. Please go there and vote if you're interested in my writings.

Now, enjoy!

* * *

* * * *CHAPTER 10* * * *

He was dreaming that familiar dream again.

By now he was used to it, but the sight of so many pairs of eyes surrounding him in the black void was still vaguely unnerving. He turned and spotted something different, which caught his interest like a flaming beacon. He'd never seen anything in this place except eyes and reflections before.

The shape quickly formed itself into a human, although it was a little blurry and indistinct around the edges, making him feel like a short-sighted person trying to view a small faraway object. He approached closer, unafraid, wanting to examine it. The only way to move through this dream, he discovered, was by utilising a swimming motion.

The humanoid figure became more recognisable as he got nearer, and soon he was noticing little details that shot through his brain, striking him with their familiarity. A dark-green bandanna, black mask, and most of all, bright silver-white eyes. He felt like he could stare into them forever.

But the man wouldn't give him time for that. He was gesturing impatiently at something above them, but when Luigi looked he couldn't see it. He tried to speak, but no sound would come out of his throat. So he just made a confused expression instead, hoping it would be enough. The man let out a huge sigh, clearly exasperated. Then he opened his mouth and spoke, but the words were muffled and difficult to understand...

'Wake – up!' he was saying. 'WAKE – UP – NOW!'

Luigi pointed at himself. 'I don't understand,' he said pitifully and was a bit surprised to find that he could actually talk.

'YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!' the strangely familiar man was telling him. 'If you don't, we'll lose you!'

'But I don't know how to wake up!'

By then the man's voice was fading, and Luigi had to strain his ears to pick up the final words. 'You just have to remember us,' he said. 'Please, I don't want to die.'

Then he was gone, and Luigi was left floating by himself in the void.

* * *

The spectators on the ground knew that something had gone wrong. For the last ten minutes or so they'd been watching anxiously as the two almost-identical figures leapt and dodged around each other on the castle roof, firing bursts of green and blue electricity but not seeming to land any hits. They had seen the huge robot that appeared to blast Luigi with laser beams. But afterwards, they saw and heard nothing.

'I'm worried,' said Peach in a small voice. Mario had wrapped an arm around her, as much to comfort himself as the princess.

'I'm sure he'll be OK,' he said, but they both knew how fake a reassurance that was.

Just then, Daisy came striding past them with such force that she nearly knocked them both to the ground. She wasn't crying, unlike Peach, but her eyes were hard and they immediately knew she had plans.

'Something's wrong,' she said bluntly. 'I'm climbing onto the roof to help him, like we _should_ have done _ages _ago.'

To her surprise, Mario and Peach made no attempt to convince her otherwise.

'You're right,' the pink-clad princess said, sniffing a little. 'We've all failed Luigi today, but if you can save him, Daisy – then please do it!' She burst into sobs once again, and Mario enveloped her in a comforting hug.

Daisy didn't hang around to wait for the plumber's agreement. Instead, she set off at a run straight towards the castle. The front doors were open as nobody had stopped to lock them while evacuating. Once inside the main room, she dived for the stairs that would take her up onto the roof itself, not hesitating for a second. She should have done this sooner, she knew, but maybe there would still be time to save Luigi...

The castle roof was still dark and stormy, but the gale-force winds from before had thankfully slackened off. Daisy climbed up with minimal effort and instantly starting searching for the two fighters who were meant to be here. Surely they were here? There were nowhere else to go, short of jumping to their deaths.

Then she gasped, spotting two silhouetted shapes not ten feet away. One was lying sprawled on the tiled roof, and when she stepped closer she realised it was Luigi. An uncontrollable sob rose in her throat when she saw the burns covering his body and half his face, but she held it down. The second figure was crouched low over him and breathing very hard and fast.

'Hey!' she yelled, stomping towards them both. 'What do ya think you're doing?!'

Mr L shrieked and staggered backwards. He obviously hadn't anticipated her sudden arrival. When she spared a glance at him, she saw he had the same vicious injuries as Luigi, but was still conscious, though very unsteady.

'S-save him...' he coughed. Daisy, who had just dropped to her knees by the plumber's side, looked up again in shock. 'S-s-save him! Or I'll d-die!'

'Why should I help _you?!' _she responded, frankly amazed that Mr L could believe she'd do anything for him.

A faint smile touched the shadow's lips. 'B-because if... you don't... your boyfriend will die too.'

That gave her pause for thought. She turned her attention to the unconscious Luigi, gently examining the blackened marks that covered most of his body. He'd clearly meant to kill himself, and Mr L too, with that final blow. But he hadn't quite succeeded. She guessed that he could be revived with a few Mushrooms, but she was a little reluctant to do so, because she knew the evil shadow would survive if she did.

'Why does this have to be so complicated?' she sighed. There was only one decision left for her to make: heal Luigi and let Mr L live, or kill both of them at once. It was an impossible choice.

The shadow huffed out a painful laugh at her question. He had staggered closer and fallen to his knees a few feet away. 'I was gonna ask you the same thing, darling.'

'Don't call me that,' she snapped, but was too preoccupied with Luigi's injuries to do anything else. 'Anyway, if I save him then I'll save _you _too, and I don't wanna do that.'

'But are you willing to let Weegee die in any case?' Mr L returned.

'Don't call him that!'

'...Besides,' the shadow added, breathing heavily, 'if you stopped for a minute and thought about it, you'd have realised I can't do anything. Luigi has me beaten, this time.' He laughed again, though it sounded more tired than insane.

'What,' Daisy ground out, 'are you trying to tell me?'

Mr L paused for a moment, then attempted to explain. 'If I ever hurt you or anyone in this kingdom, Luigi will _immediately_ off himself to get rid of me. Think that sounds fun? I can't do anything, or I'll die.'

The Sarasaland princess let this stew in her head for a while. 'So basically, you're saying that you can't be evil anymore because Luigi would kill you – _both _of you?' She snorted. 'That sounds stupid.'

'Ha ha,' said the shadow. 'Now I know the full extent of the connection between us, I realise that neither of us can die... or harm each other. The battle of rivals has come to an end, and... I have lost.'

'How disappointing,' replied Daisy sarcastically. 'Now, are you gonna be useful for once in your sorry life and help me get Luigi to hospital? If you don't wanna die, that is.'

For a brief moment, she had the satisfaction of seeing the shadow's face slacken with pure shock. 'Y-y-you're not going to destroy me?' he said, gaping.

'No, 'cause then Luigi would die too, you idiot!' she retorted angrily. Although rather enjoying the verbal sparring, she knew they needed to get Luigi back to town before his horrible injuries killed him. 'Now don't waste any more time! You carry him, and I'll lead the way to the hospital. Come _on!'_

Well, there weren't many people who could argue with that tone of voice – evil villain or otherwise.

* * *

Mario and Peach hovered anxiously outside the hospital doors, listening for any sounds or voices that might emanate from within. The past hour had gone by in a confused blur for the two of them, as emotional events usually do, and neither could remember much of what happened besides seeing Luigi getting carried through the town by an irate Daisy and a Mr L who seemed to be trying to stay inconspicuous.

Peach had to drag Mario away when they saw Mr L, and he'd almost rushed over to punch him there and then. She wasn't too worried about the shadow, for she trusted Daisy's judgement and knew the Sarasaland princess wouldn't let him walk free unless she was certain he wouldn't hurt anyone.

It was Luigi who really concerned them, for the brief glimpse they'd caught of him had revealed severe burns across his face and most of his body. People had died from injuries like those before, even with the aid of many experienced Toad medics and Mushroom potions. But they had been assured that Luigi was in the best of hands, and if he could be saved then the medics would save him.

Peach gently took Mario's hand as they leaned against the hospital doors together, shivering slightly in the frigid air. The remnants of the lightning storm had faded, leaving a featureless grey sky and a high possibility of snow tonight. She sighed, and the red plumber put his arm around her.

'Is something the matter?' he asked, genuinely concerned.

Peach looked down at him. 'Of course there is! Luigi's hurt, and might die... Mr L is still somewhere around... and we haven't got a clue what's going on... Do you think Daisy's not telling us something?'

Mario nodded slowly. 'Maybe... but I'm certain she wouldn't hide anything from you without good reason.'

'I really hope so... And what about Luigi? He's your brother; shouldn't you be in the hospital waiting for him to wake up?' she questioned.

'The Toad medics need peace and quiet to work on him. They're still not sure whether he'll survive.' Mario's voice trembled a little, but didn't break. It was only by looking carefully into his face that Peach could tell how unhappy he was. The fear that Luigi would die before he had a chance to apologise for that argument was keeping him awake, stopping him from eating, and he could hardly think about anything else. She wished she could comfort him, but nothing she did helped.

'He'll pull through,' she told him. 'He _will, _Mario. Just believe in him. He'll come back to us eventually.'

The plumber let out a dry, humourless chuckle. 'What's he got to come back to? A stupid brother who he thinks hates him, and a whole town full of people who can barely remember his name.' He shot a quick glance at her, eyes widening. 'Uh, no offence.'

She shook her head hastily. 'No, you're completely right. Half the residents don't even seem to recognise him.' She couldn't help but feel disappointed in her subjects, who had often found themselves being saved by Luigi instead of his red-capped older sibling, and yet they still didn't know who he was.

'If Luigi pulls through this,' said Mario, 'will you host a big party at the castle in his honour? So everyone realises what he did to protect them?'

'Yes,' Peach replied, almost before he'd finished speaking. There was no hesitation in her voice. It was a perfect idea, for there was nothing she enjoyed more than parties, and Luigi _did _deserve recognition for his sacrifices this week. 'I'll put up a giant banner with his name on it. And lots of food! And I'll invite anyone he wants.'

'Actually,' said Mario thoughtfully, 'I think it should be kept a secret. It'll be a bigger surprise for him, right?'

The princess considered this for a moment, then to his relief she nodded in agreement. 'Don't worry about a thing, Mario!' she said with an honest grin, taking both of his hands. 'It'll be the greatest celebration we've ever had!' He looked up into her eyes and, slowly, his own tense expression gave way to a smile of gratitude.

* * *

He was dreaming. After the first few seconds he became pretty sure he was dreaming, because nothing looked normal here, and his head felt oddly fuzzy. But it definitely wasn't his regular, familiar dream.

He was sitting in a meadow of lush, thick green grass, speckled with what seemed to be thousands of little daisies. There were trees nearby, and a yellow park bench, and the sky was blue and cloudless. He could even hear the faint trickling sounds of a stream somewhere out of sight. But there was nothing that might give him a clue to where he was, or what was going on.

He shakily got to his feet, letting his ungloved fingers brush the beautiful grass along the way. He'd never felt grass this lush, for Stars' sake! Maybe he would have remained quite happily in that spot until he woke up, admiring the green fluff growing out of the ground, but a heavy footstep alerted him to the fact that he wasn't alone anymore. He stood up too quickly and staggered before regaining his balance.

At first his foggy brain couldn't make sense of the two people standing before him, one a red-capped man, and the other a woman in a long orange dress. But after a while he recognised them and was able to greet them by name.

'Mario! Daisy!' he cried, running across the meadow. But their faces were blankly expressionless, and when he tried to reach out for them they took a step backwards, away from him. 'Wh-what's happening? Bro? Daisy? HELLO?'

Then Mario looked at him, and his eyes was suddenly alive and filled with terror. 'Little bro!' he gasped, his voice too high – it sounded like he was in pain. 'Oh, Luigi, you've got to stop him! He's killing everyone! He's gonna kill me!'

Luigi yelped as vivid cuts and bruises formed on Mario's face and arms, red and vicious. They were appearing out of nowhere. He took an involuntary step closer as his brother dropped to his knees, panting for breath. He was about to reach over and help him when a second voice brought him to an abrupt halt.

'Don't be an idiot, Weegee!' He looked around and saw Daisy glaring at him from a short distance away. 'Can't you see what's gonna happen if you do that?'

He glanced momentarily at his brother, but Mario had fallen into unconsciousness and his body was slumped on the lush grass, unmoving. 'Wh-what are you talking about?!' he cried. 'I've gotta help him!' He reached out again, but Daisy rushed over and slapped his hand away roughly.

'Don't! Just stop and think, Luigi!' she told him, and he reluctantly averted his attention from Mario. She was speaking in a fast, urgent tone, but he recognised the familiar impatience, and knew he had to listen to her. Even if this was only a dream, he had a feeling things were important here, that they meant something big.

'You have to make a decision,' Daisy was saying. 'Right now in the Other World, you're stuck in a hospital ward while medics frantically try to get you breathing again. But you can decide for yourself whether you want to live or not.' She held up a hand, indicating first Mario and then herself. 'If you choose to help you brother, you'll die in the Other World and your evil counterpart will die too. But if you choose to come with me, I'll show you how you can survive without letting Mr L hurt anyone else.'

Luigi stared pleadingly at her, but she merely folded her arms and waited for his response. 'How can I make a choice like that?!' he snapped. He was fairly sure that he'd _never _get this annoyed with Daisy in real life, but this was a dream, and he felt like he should be allowed some flawed character representation. 'I have to save Mario...'

He chanced another quick look at the body lying by his feet. It didn't seem to be breathing anymore.

'You have to decide,' Daisy repeated sternly. She still hadn't made any move in his direction and didn't look like she planned to anytime soon.

'Are you actually the real Daisy?' he growled, causing her to shrug a little defensively.

'That's up to you,' she replied. 'This is your dream, after all. You control everything, don't you?'

Heaving a massive sigh, Luigi tilted his head back and gazed at the perfect blue sky above them. There wasn't a cloud in view, the air was warm and quiet, and the hills in the distance were blinking peacefully. Although there was a slight mist covering the areas far away from him, he found that he could still see quite well. It was almost _too _perfect, he realised.

To Daisy, he said: 'Do you really have a way for me to survive without Mr L harming anyone else?'

She nodded immediately, seeming pleased that he was talking to her again. 'I spoke to him when I came onto the castle roof to rescue you. He was badly injured, 'cause the attack you used on yourself hurt you... a lot. You didn't die, though. And as long as you're alive, he is too.'

'Whereabouts is he now, then? In prison?'

The Sarasaland princess let out a short, loud laugh that reminded him painfully of the real version of Daisy, stuck somewhere in the Other World waiting for him to wake up. 'No! He's in the hospital just like you. I told the medics to look after him, but not to let him escape.'

'So he won't wake up till I do?'

'Seems to be that way.' She smiled at him briefly, then sobered once again. 'But you still have to make your choice, Luigi. If you're really scared that Mr L will find a way to keep hurting your friends, then you can die...' For a split second he thought he might have seen a tear in her eye, but it disappeared so quickly he assumed he'd imagined it.

'And my other choice?' he prompted when she didn't continue straight away.

She sniffed, then resolutely continued as though nothing unusual had happened. 'You can follow me. I know the way out of this place.' She made a sweeping gesture that indicated the strange area around them, the thick grass and oak trees and bright-blue sky. 'I'll lead you to safety. But if I do that, Mr L will find his way out too.'

'Is he here?'

'Not quite. Well, I suppose he might be here, but not in the same place as you.'

Luigi waited politely for her to explain the meaning of that sentence, and when she didn't he said hopefully, 'And it's entirely my decision to make?'

'Completely! Although...' Daisy hesitated again. 'I really want you to agree to come with me... I mean, everyone's mourning you already 'cause the medics said you're going to die, and Mario's heartbroken, and I... well... I just really want you to come back!' she finished with a slightly forced grin.

Luigi looked at Mario's apparently dead body sprawled nearby, then up at the sky, then back at the princess. He supposed the effects of being in the dream world were making him calmer than he'd normally be, because his heart was beating steadily and he felt no urge to panic. He knew he only had to make one choice, one decision to change his immediate future. But _what _a decision! Life or death.

He took the chance to observe Daisy with an intensity he'd never dared to before. He saw her hard and challenging eyes. He remembered the feeling when he'd kissed her back in Toad Town after the argument with his brother. He knew she wanted him to live, but could he live with the knowledge that he'd let Mr L, possibly his most dangerous enemy, survive as well?

Whatever happened, it would be his choice. And if he chose to return to the Other World with all his friends and family, he knew that dealing with Mr L would be his responsibility. If the shadow hurt anybody, he'd blame himself. He was sure of it, because Mario always told him he was too self-sacrificing for his own good. But as he looked straight into Daisy's eyes, he felt a strong urge to walk with her, and it didn't take him more than a second to figure out why.

He didn't want to leave everyone.

The realisation didn't surprise him. He loved his brother, despite the argument they had only too recently, and he loved his friends. He even found himself missing the rivalry between himself and his cousin Waluigi. But most of all, he loved Daisy. The thought of being stuck in this strange, beautiful world without her for all eternity sent shudders along his spine, and suddenly the world didn't seem so beautiful anymore. It was ugly, through and through.

He didn't need to think about it for a moment longer. If dying meant never seeing Daisy or Mario in the flesh again, he wasn't letting it happen. He'd find a way to deal with Mr L if he had to, but whatever happened, he didn't want to die.

He stood up, much less shakily than before, and extended a hand towards the Sarasaland princess in silent invitation. The smile that suddenly lit up her face was so bright, so glorious, and so _happy,_ he felt his own grin widening before he could make any attempt to stop it.

'I want to go back,' he told her, although it seemed unnecessary to say it.

She nodded. 'Thank you,' she said simply, and then they took hold of each other's hands and began to walk away towards the misty hills in the far distance. As they walked, they slowly faded until they no longer appeared to exist.

Somewhere on the grass behind them, the shape of the fake Mario's body also faded, and the sun sunk towards the western horizon, shrouding the peculiar little world in dusk.

* * *

The citizenry of Toad Town hadn't expected the turmoil to die down quite as quickly as it had. But a mere two days after the newly-named 'Green Hero' (an obvious play on his dark counterpart's nickname) woke up in hospital, everything seemed to be back to normal, apart from a few changes.

When the two brothers met up in the hospital, they'd stared at each other in slightly awkward silence for about three minutes before both profusely apologising at exactly the same time. Their argument had never been spoken of, at least not directly, but something told Mario that he had been forgiven. He wasn't sure what made him think that. Maybe he just knew Luigi well.

The celebration hosted in Peach's castle had been massive enough to last in everyone's memories for a long time to come. All of Luigi's favourite foods and many of his friends from other kingdoms had been there, and several of Mario's 'fans' had turned up just to get a closer look at their own hero. But despite that, the overall atmosphere of the party was one of relief, gratitude, and... something else. Mario managed to wave off his fan club long enough to spend plenty of time with his little brother who, thanks to Peach's actions, was now getting every bit of fame he deserved.

'You know you need this, Bro,' he'd said, giving Luigi a firm pat on the shoulder as they sat together with Daisy, a gathering of Toads, and the pink princess herself. 'I can't get over what you did to protect all these people. You deserve this party, and a lot more.'

Daisy had grinned mischievously at that, and leaned in to give the green-capped plumber a kiss on on cheek. While he was busy spluttering in shock, Mario had slunk off to get a few words in with Peach.

'Thanks for all this,' he said quietly, indicating the crowded room full of food, green balloons, and countless guests for emphasis.

'It's the least I can do in return,' Peach whispered back equally softly. 'He's so brave and strong. I don't think any of us would be willing to sacrifice our _life _to save other people.'

'I know I wouldn't,' Mario admitted, for it was true.

Peach had kissed him on the nose, just to make them even with Daisy and Luigi, and the last hour of the party had gone by noisily but uneventfully.

There was only one problem that nobody could quite get off their minds; the exact whereabouts of the shadow, Mr L. He'd managed to escape from the hospital shortly before his counterpart awoke, and his injuries had been healed enough for him to make a quick getaway. He hadn't been sighted by any of the townsfolk since, and Luigi had mentioned that he couldn't 'feel' Mr L anywhere nearby.

Peach hadn't complained, saying she was just glad the shadow hadn't stayed to do any more harm, but Luigi seemed restless. Despite his brother's efforts to reassure him, he remained convinced that Mr L would return eventually.

'But maybe not for a long time,' Mario had pointed out. 'He knows he can't hurt anyone, Bro. He's scared of what you can do to him.'

This was also true, because Mr L had now learned that if Luigi died, he would too. This gave them unlimited power over him. All Luigi needed to do was threaten to kill himself and his counterpart would be helpless.

'I can't help worrying about him,' he had replied softly. 'What if he comes back when I'm not around? What if I go out somewhere and he tries to hurt you or Peach or Daisy while I'm away?'

Mario clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a serious, but comforting look. 'Whatever happens will happen,' he'd said simply before walking off. Luigi had tried his best to understand these words and take them to heart. Despite knowing he could stop Mr L easily, he still worried.

Now, two days had passed since he had woken up in the hospital. The uproar among the citizens was starting to quiet down, but occasionally a lone cheer would ring out when Luigi wandered through the streets, and the owner of the town café kept trying to give him a discount. They were only small things, but they were a big change for Luigi, forcing him to reconsider what had once been a very uneventful life. The citizens no longer ignored him and forgot his name, and although he wasn't sure his newfound renown would last forever, he was rapidly gaining confidence in himself.

That night, he lay awake for a long time in the semidarkness, listening to the rhythm of Mario's gentle snoring in the bunk above. Thoughts of what had happened recently kept swirling around in his head, preventing him from sleeping. Sometimes it got downright annoying. But whenever he couldn't sleep he started thinking of Daisy, and that helped a little.

When he finally drifted off, he seemed to float in the void between waking and sleeping for a while before, rather suddenly, colours and shapes began to form around him. At some point, he came to full awareness lying on the floor of a castle. It looked like it might've been an old place of Bowser's, but he wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter.

What _did _matter was that he could see a person walking towards him, a person who was virtually a mirror image of himself save for the black garments and shining white eyes. When they were close, they both stopped, and neither spoke for a long time.

Eventually Luigi said, 'You hurt a lot of people.' He didn't mean to sound angry, but the shadow flinched as if he'd been threatened.

'I know,' he replied. 'But I can't anymore. I think you know why.' His voice was so like Luigi's, but darker, deeper, mocking.

'Because I'd kill us both if you tried.'

'Exactly! I haven't met many people, I admit, but you're definitely the most self-sacrificing idiot I've ever seen. You're the only one who's not afraid to die to protect your friends and family. That's why you've beaten me.'

'But I never did anything to you.'

'Ah, but what if you did?' Mr L's tone turned lighter, gaining a curious note that made him sound like a child. 'What then? You'd be dead and so would I.'

'Neither of us are dead,' said Luigi, harshly. 'And if you don't want to get hurt, leave my friends alone.'

Mr L waved a dismissive gloved hand. 'Don't worry about that. I don't plan on chasing after you pathetic little town anytime soon – not while you're still living in it...'

Luigi smiled faintly. 'Where are you right now?' he asked.

'Other than haunting your dreams? I'm far away, out of the Mushroom Kingdom. But I'm not telling you exactly _where. _I think I'm gonna explore for a bit... haven't seen much of the world, you know? But still, maybe someday I'll return. You wouldn't mind a little unannounced visit?'

Luigi hesitated.

'If you swear to not harm _anyone _in the kingdom...' he said slowly, 'I guess... you could come back someday.'

The shadow grinned. 'I knew you'd say that.'

'Don't make me change my mind! Listen, we might not strictly be enemies anymore, but you still hurt me, Mario, and other people, and I'm not ready to forgive you yet.'

Mr L shook his head. 'Don't worry. You won't be seeing me again for a long, long time.' His wild grin fading, he stretched an arm forward as though requesting a handshake. There was something unusually nervous about his movements. 'Remember me, won't you?'

'I'm not likely to forget you that fast,' said Luigi dryly, but nevertheless extended his own hand. They shook, let go quickly, and stepped away from each other. 'Goodbye, Mr L. I'll be glad not to see you again.'

'Gee, don't sound too disappointed,' the shadow muttered. Speaking at normal volume, he added, 'I don't really wanna see you again either. At least not yet. But we might not be able to avoid each other forever... after all, we're still –'

'- Two sides of the same coin,' Luigi finished for him, and they shared a reluctant half-laugh. 'Now get out of my dream already.'

'At your command.' Mr L turned and started to walk away, heading for what looked like a pair of large castle doors. As he disappeared through them, the dream world began to fade as well, until Luigi was the only real thing left, floating in a black void once again.

Even after he woke up, he remembered the conversation as vividly as if he'd experienced it in his own world. And there was one thing in particular that he never forgot, and continued to dream about regularly... those eyes.

Those instantly recognisable, glowing, pure-white eyes, as familiar to him as the reflection of his own.

They were indeed two sides of the same coin.


End file.
